Operation: Sleepover
by fangirlMasquerade
Summary: AU! Cadet Cloud Strife has caught the attention of 2nd Class Zack Fair, and is subsequently dragged into a weekend of escapades. A friendship is formed in the face of pranks, horror, and training. Will their mission succeed or will they fall victim to the wrath of the Three Firsts? Collab with Shade the Hero!
1. Here Goes Nothing

Disclaimer: Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- and it's characters (c) Square Enix. Me no own. Just playing with the characters here. ;) Half of this story was done by Shade the Hero. Thanks!

Bahamut: Hello and welcome! Bahamut Fury here! I'd like to start off by saying that while this account may be new, I've been on for a good few years. I just wanted to start fresh, if you will, and have an account for non-super explicit related things. And here we are! And the first story to get posted to this account? Operation: Sleepover! A collab effort with Shade the Hero! Actually this story started off as just a roleplay between us, but it turned into something epic, and we both agreed that it should be turned into a story and posted to share with others! It's been a blast writing this out with her and we bet you'll enjoy reading it! ;) So we both hope you enjoy, and a super big thank you to Shade the Hero for her awesome half, and letting me post it here! :D Thank you!

Shade: Hey guys! Shade The Hero here, with another great story for you all, but this time it's gonna be twice the fun. Working on this with Bahamut Fury here has been a total blast. As she so perfectly stated, this started out as just some downtime fun, which is helping me work through my writer's block, but it quickly evolved into something too awesome to keep to ourselves. So we both agreed that it needed to be shared. This project can be described as both a Beauty and a Beast. There's a ton of adventure in store so we hope you enjoy this as much as we have! :)

* * *

**Here Goes Nothing**

It was Friday night. The end of another exhausting week was upon the citizens of Midgar. While for most people it meant winding down and taking a few days to relax, but for a young cadet named Cloud Strife he felt like his troubles were only beginning. It had been a strange start to the week to be sure. Ever since he bumped into that SOLDIER Second in the halls the guy had been hanging around the edge of Cloud's vision ever since. Then on Wednesday the older teen finally approached him after lunch. Cloud was nervous at first. The guy was a SOLDIER after all, with actual Mako coursing through his veins. The blonde secretly prayed that the teen wasn't another one of those bullies that had started taunting him lately. He had endured enough of that back home. Thankfully the guy seemed to be the complete opposite. And he finally had a name. Zack Fair. Cloud thought 'Fair' was a strange name, but then again he had no room to talk with a name like Cloud.

They talked for a while, getting to know each other and finally after Zack had given him his own personal nickname he was allowed to return to class, which he was already ten minutes late for. Thursday Zack used his rank to pull Cloud out of class for what he told the instructor was a conference meeting. It was only a fifteen minute break to ask Cloud if he wanted to hang out over the weekend. Cloud had wanted to study and get ready for the next exam, but Zack was his first official friend in Shinra, and he just couldn't bring himself to say no.

Which brought Cloud back to the present. Heading up the stairs of the Shinra building to the SOLDIER living quarters and heading to Zack's apartment. He stopped at the door numbered 417 and double checked the paper before taking a deep breath to ready himself for the unexpected.

"Well, here goes nothing."

With that he knocked on the door.

With the sound of a light knock on the door, one 2nd Class Zack Fair knew the weekend had officially started. He'd planned everything (As much as his puppy attention span allowed him to plan anyway, as Angeal would have put it) and now it was time to put his plans into action.

Wearing a casual outfit for the weekend since there was no more training, he jumped up and swung the door open to greet the cadet that had caught his attention. That hair alone screamed for Zack's attention, he couldn't have missed the blonde even if he were blind. Flashing him a bright smile, Zack yanked the cadet into his apartment. "I was starting to think you were gonna chicken out on me!" He eyed the teen, of course he was still wearing his cadet uniform. "You're not wearing that all weekend are you?"

No matter, he took Cloud's bag and tossed it to a corner in the apartment somewhere and disappeared into his room for a moment. It took him several minutes to find a clean shirt, but once he had he jogged out, all smiles and handed Cloud said shirt. "This will have to do for now." He smiled, a disarming smile he used for cadets that might be nervous about their difference in ranks, and waited for Cloud to change right there; not a bashful bone in Fair's body.

"So," He began, eyes holding a soft glow of Mako. "You ready for the best weekend since joining SOLDIER?" He grinned, and this time there was a hint of mischievousness behind that grin.

The world seemed to freeze for the blonde as a hand grasped a fistful of his uniform and yanked him inside. Cloud just barely managed to bite down before letting out an embarrassing squeak in surprise. Thankfully it seemed Zack was too excited to hear it anyway.

Cloud had always been quiet and shy, but the minute Zack commented about his attire he couldn't hide the blush. He had been so focused on packing enough things into his bag that he forgot to change out of his uniform. Cloud just stood there and blinked as Zack vanished into his room and returned with a shirt.

Cloud looked down at it and then back up at Zack before that blush returned again. He didn't expect him to undress right _HERE_, did he?

Well, it wasn't like he hadn't undressed in a locker room with the other cadets, even if it was a more reasonable setting. Still, he didn't want to offend his friend and a SOLDIER no less, so he bit back his nervousness, took a few steps back and pulled off the top of his cadet uniform. They were itchy and very uncomfortable and once one worked up a decent sweat it transformed into nearly unbearable. The shirt dropped to his feet as he slipped on the shirt Zack offered and the difference was like night and day. Whatever material it was made of was at least five times softer and didn't stick to his skin or itch in the least. Already things were looking up, not that one shirt was a big deal, but it meant things were starting off on a good note.

Zack's next question didn't set off any alarm bells and already he felt himself relaxing a little. "Sure." He replied, not knowing what to expect. But, he felt he was ready for whatever the SOLDIER could dish out, at least he thought he did. "What do you want to do first?"

The bright eyed SOLDIER 2nd Class looked to his clock on the wall -which was actually an hour off but he still knew what time it was- and then to his watch where he had set a timer. "We've got exactly 47 minutes left before the meeting is done, so first let's head to Genesis's apartment with these."

With that said, Zack turned where he had stacked three boxes just beside the door of his apartment and picked the first one up, plopping it right into Cloud's arms.

He grabbed the next two boxes himself and went out the door as if it were nothing to be carrying two boxes full of books. Of course, Cloud may have a bit more trouble considering he still didn't have any Mako in his system, but Zack just figured it would help for building muscle. "Come on! It's going to take us at_ least _30 minutes to do this alone, and we still gotta take care of a couple other things afterward." He blinked then turned right back around and grabbed a couple things, stuffing them into his pockets and then jogging out of his apartment; not even concerned with locking his door.

They had a limited window to do everything the teen had planned, but with Cloud's help Zack knew they could pull it off together flawlessly. Yes, this weekend was going to be a blast, and if nothing else, good training exercises for the cadet.

"So how much do you know about the 1sts here? Genesis for example, and Sephiroth." He glanced over his shoulder at the younger teen, wondering what rumors the spiky haired boy fell for and what he actually knew of the men that made up most of SOLDIERs 1sts.

Cloud almost dropped the box due to the unexpected weight the moment Zack gave it to him. Thankfully, his reflexes were quick enough to catch himself without him stumbling, even though in the two seconds it took to correct himself he looked like an awkward chocobo.

He secretly wondered if all SOLDIERs were this hyper as he hurried to keep up with Zack as they made their way out of his apartment. It was then that what the raven-haired teen said finally sank in._ Why are we going to a First's apartment? And why does this box weigh so much?_ Whatever was inside it rattled and shifted as he put in an extra burst of speed trying to keep up. Man, Zack was fast. And he was carrying two boxes? Cloud realized he had a long way to go before he was ready for SOLDIER.

Cloud blinked in confusion for a moment before giving Zack's question some thought. He knew about Sephiroth. Who on Gaia didn't? The man was a legend and Cloud's hero, not that he went about openly admitting it. Aside from the chatter that spread through the cadets he didn't know much about the other two. He hoped at least some of what he heard wasn't true.

"W-well, I know The General is a legend from his actions in the Wutai war. It's said that nothing can surprise him. Some of the other cadets think he has special powers that can sense every person within a mile radius." He thought about another rumor he heard, but hesitated to say it at first, though it was pretty amusing and he was curious to know if it was true. "I also heard that he uses two bottles of shampoo to wash his hair, but I doubt that's true. Or is it?"

Shiva that sounded horrible. Even Cloud realized it sounded like he was fan-girling. All he was missing was a purple dress, flashy earrings and a pearl necklace with high-heeled shoes and he'd make the perfect fangirl. The image of the dress alone made him shudder.

He had heard even less about Genesis. "I heard that Commander Genesis reads a lot and he has a strange obsession with hot chocolate." Wow that was limited. He knew even less about the third First Class. "And Commander Angeal, well...I don't really know anything about him."

It was only after he had said that, that he wondered if that had been a test. Was Zack wondering if he would disrespect the Firsts? Was this whole thing some exam and the Firsts themselves were listening in? No, that was crazy and Cloud had to believe he was being paranoid, but in a place like Shinra even the walls had ears. Did the cameras stationed in the halls have listening devices too? Oh Shiva he was dead. He was so dead.

Zack couldn't hide the stupid grin on his face. Cloud sounded so much like a fangirl it was hilarious, especially since he was a guy and not actually a girl. "Well today you're going to learn a couple valuable things about Genesis and Sephiroth in particular. Oh, and Seph only uses one bottle of shampoo every time he washes his hair, but he also uses a bottle of conditioner with it. Man, you should smell his hair, it changes daily! Even I can't get my hair to change smells so often, and I've tried!" The teen's face was actually pretty serious looking when he said that.

At the elevators, the 2nd Class hit the button and stepped onto one of the elevators before he pressed the button for the 1sts apartment floor. "Genesis only reads like one book, it's called Loveless. I think it's based off some play, or they based the play off the book one. I don't know, I never can understand half the things he's talking about but I'm pretty sure he repeats himself. Sephiroth says he's just trying to beat the whole book into everyone's heads, like brainwash them into loving it as much as he does."

Zack groaned outwardly, he'd heard so much of Loveless he was actually starting to memorize some of it himself, which spoke volumes.

Before Zack could forget he blinked and smiled. "Angeal's my mentor by the way. He's pretty cool, laid back, he has a bunch of plants in his apartment. Genesis doesn't like them though because they draw bugs in and he's like some high school girl when it comes to bugs. I had this pet tarantula that got out once and then this loudest scream was heard through out the whole building! Apparently he found his way into Genesis's apartment." He laughed at the memory, because that had been both the most hilarious and terrifying moment he'd remembered of meeting Genesis.

The teen just prattled on about the different things with the 1sts like it was nothing, happy to really fill in a cadet before they thought the 1sts could fly or teleport themselves across the world or something crazy like that. As soon as the elevator doors came open he led the way to Genesis's apartment door, before he juggled the boxes he was holding to pull out a funny looking keycard.

Glancing at Cloud he winked. "If you ever meet a Turk named Reno, become his best friend. So worth it." He winked before the door opened and he waltzed in like he owned the place.

The laugh erupted from his throat before Cloud could stop it. He didn't expect the shampoo rumor to be true, but different scented conditioner on top of it? What surprised Cloud the most was how easy it was for him to let his guard down. Maybe fitting in with Shinra wouldn't be so bad after all.

Once in the elevator Cloud was surprised to know that someone as high-ranked as a First knew of such an old play. The blonde wasn't that well versed in the story and hadn't memorized it, but he had read it as a kid and remembered one part clear enough to quote it out loud.

_"Infinite in mystery is the gift of the goddess_  
_We seek it thus, and take to the sky_  
_Ripples form on the water's surface_  
_The wandering soul knows no rest."_

He scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "I read a lot as a kid and that one was one of the few good books in Nibelheim's puny library." And by library he meant the small book shelf in the town's hotel lobby.

He was relieved he hadn't known much about Angeal before. It was much better learning about someone from a person who was actually close to him and not rumors that may or may not be true. And he was sure Zack wouldn't let crazy rumors about his mentor fly. He was also glad about the idea of live plants. Ever since Cloud had arrived in Midgar the lack of any vegetation was obvious and it actually made Cloud miss his small mountain home. He laughed with Zack about the bug incident and had a story of his own to share.

"Reminds me of the time I had to save my mom from a spider. She was standing on her stool when I came down and she begged me to save her." He remembered how hilarious it was when he told her that spiders could climb and she jumped from the stool to the couch and then to the stairs. Though, he had to give her credit. The spider was big, but nothing a well-aimed boot couldn't handle. He threw a dictionary at it as well just for good measure to ease his mother's worries.

Cloud gladly listened to Zack talk about the Firsts and tried to soak in as much information about them as he could. Despite the face that they were in charge of SOLDIER more or less, they seemed like perfectly normal people who could let loose and be themselves and they weren't as terrifying as everyone else made them out to be. Hearing it from Zack they seemed like equals or even more, the way he talked about them made them almost seem like big brothers. Maybe that's how Zack saw them.

Turks? Cloud had heard talk of that elusive branch of Shinra once or twice, but didn't really know what they were about. Reno. Hmm. He'd have to remember that name.

As Zack made his way inside and Cloud started to follow he was surprised by the layout of the apartment. Everything was red! Or at least in different shades of it. The carpet was thick and patterned to look like flames and the walls complimented it and helped to bring out the flame's details. There was a wooden stand for what Cloud guessed was a sword and two book shelves set to the side. He realized Zack wasn't kidding when he said Genesis loved that play. It looked like the shelves were full of it!

"So, are these more copies of Loveless?" He asked Zack as he shifted the box to get a better hold on it.

The 2nd Class did a full body twitch when Cloud had quoted Loveless. Honestly, that was just cruel and unusual. But he'd get Genesis back today, even if for an hour. "So not cool. You gotta check out Shinra's library. Believe it or not Spiky, there are other books outside of Loveless." He grinned at the teen and reached over, ruffling his hair to make it even wilder than it already was.

Once inside the Commander's apartment -that was probably the most lively colored apartment in all of Shinra next only to the President's gaudy gold- Zack set his two boxes down and wrinkled his nose at the suggestion of giving Genesis even more copies of Loveless. "Are you kidding? Can't you see he has way too many as it is?" He grinned and his eyes seemed to flash with mischievousness at the blonde cadet. "No, my new favorite little chocobo, these are going to _replace _Genesis's books." He made quotation marks with his fingers when he said 'replace' before opening the first box that Cloud was holding.

Inside the three boxes were books on puppies and chocobos, enough to replace every last copy of Loveless on the bookshelves. "We're going to give Genesis a gentle reminder that there are more books than just Loveless. And the best way to do that, is to switch 'em all out."

Any rational person in Shinra would know better than to mess with Genesis's obsession with Loveless, but honestly, who ever accused Zack of being rational?

With that said, he started to take the puppy and chocobo books out of the box and replace them with the copies of Loveless, slowly filling up the box with Loveless and the shelves with the others. "This will also prove my theory that Genesis doesn't actually know how to read and he's just memorized one book his entire life." Zack looked so serious when he said that, but one of his biggest theories was that Genesis couldn't actually read.

He'd never actually seen the 1st do paperwork, he always managed to talk Angeal or Sephiroth one into doing his paperwork for him. It drove the teen mad not knowing and this was how he thought it best to prove it. "We're going to bust this theory wide open, Spiky!"

Cloud blew some of his spikes away from his face as he blinked at the sight of the books on the shelf. Zack hadn't been kidding. It was perfectly normal to have one, maybe two of the same book in case was one lost, damaged or a signed limited edition, but an entire shelf full was too much, let alone two of them.

Zack's plans for the Commander nearly caused Cloud to drop the box right on his feet. "Wait, we're _what?! _You're not really serious are you?"

The flame patterns were a harsh reminder of another rumor Cloud had heard about Genesis. He liked setting Cadets on fire if they didn't know to get out of his way. What would he do if he found one in his apartment? Or messing with his beloved collection? He fell back to his original thought. He was so dead.

"Uh, Zack? Do you really think this is a good idea? What if we get caught?" He glanced back towards the door that he forgot to close behind him. What if the Commander came in right then and there? Zack might survive, but Cloud would be as good as a chocobo cornered by a pack of vicious Nibel Wolves.

The raven haired teen hardly seemed concerned while he switched the books out as quickly as he could. "He's in a meeting with the Director and President, that's where Angeal and Sephiroth are at too. They'll make him sit through it until it's done so we have time, don't sweat it!" He flashed a bright smile before he turned his focus back on the task at hand.

"Come on, it'll go by faster if you help instead of just standing there like a statue!" Zack urged the teen to participate, it would be good for boosting his courage which the 2nd Class had a feeling he needed.

"Once we're done," He started, the first box filled with Loveless and taking it from Cloud to get into the next box. "We'll hide the boxes with the Loveless books in Reeve's office. Genesis never goes to the Urban Development Department and Reeve won't notice a couple more boxes stacked in his office, so it's the perfect place to hide them."

He'd had this whole thing planned for weeks and with the chocobo at his side they'd manage to pull it off! If Cloud actually participated and didn't question Zack's ethics, of course. But he figured the spiky haired blonde would eventually come around.

Cloud knew this would come back to haunt him, but Zack was his first friend and he didn't want to tarnish it. For once, their ranks were the last thing on his mind. Zack had every opportunity to be a heartless jerk just like the rest of the SOLDIERs he had encountered, but he wasn't. It almost felt like he was going the extra mile to help him out. Though, their current situation didn't feel like it had anything to do with him, other than spending time with him. Despite the obvious danger, Cloud almost wanted to smile.

Well, if Zack was trying to be a real friend than so would Cloud. No one would accuse him of letting down a friend and if they were gonna get caught then Cloud would back him up. He was timid, but he was no coward.

Walking over to the second book shelf he reached out and took one book at first. He mentally compared it to dipping in his toes before taking the plunge. He set that book in the box and replaced it with a book with a cute picture of a husky pup. Seriously, where did Zack find these books? Next he took a handful of seven copies of the play and replaced them with seven various books about chocobos. As he glanced at each title he almost wanted to read them himself. He was surprised there were so many topics about the birds. Breeding Tips, Racing, Best feed tips for each colored bird, Cloud really did need to check out Shinra's library.

Once he had replaced every book in the third box he looked over at Zack. "Reeve's office isn't far, is it? I'm sure a box full of Loveless is a lot heavier then books about dogs and birds."

Standing back to admire their hard work after all the copies of Loveless had been officially replaced by books on dogs and chocobos, the 2nd grinned and gave a thumbs up. "Reeve's office is down a couple floors, we'll take the elevators. Come on! We still have more to do before that meeting is up!"

Looking at his watch, they'd spent about 25 minutes switching out books. Genesis really did need to get a better variety and perhaps this would teach him there are other books in the world, if he could read anything else at all. Zack snickered at the thought while he picked a box and plopped it back into the blonde's arms.

Picking the other two boxes up, he whistled and walked out. "Don't fall behind, cadet! We're behind enemy lines!" He joked, laughing as he looked back at Cloud with a wink. It was a joke, though he could only imagine how angry Genesis was going to be once he notices the difference...

Which brought Zack's next question to mind as he locked the door behind them and headed for the elevators. "How long before you think he'll notice? Wanna make a bet out of it?" He nudged Cloud with his elbow and smiled mischievously toward the teen.

It wasn't unusual for him and Reno to make bets on stuff like this, though he would consider this particular one "high stakes" considering.

Cloud still couldn't shake the feeling that this was going to blow up in their faces, but he decided he had already committed to this. He may as well see it through to the end. What ever happened now was out of his hands.

He hurried to keep up with the Second as they made their way out of the Commander's apartment. Cloud had never been apart of any betting before. He had seen men playing poker and steal the chocobo's nest back home at the local tavern, but nothing life threatening like a covert mission to prank a First Class SOLDIER. "Probably thirty seconds if he's as into the book as you say he is."

"You're on! I say 45 seconds." Zack grinned. He knew the cadet didn't really have any Gil to be betting with, so he thought a moment on what they could use for betting while they waited on the elevators to take them to the Urban Development Department floor. "Alright, you win, I'll buy you one real meal every day for a week." He grinned, eyeing the cadet. "But if I win..."

This one he had to really think to make the deal worth it. He couldn't even decide on it until after the elevators arrived and he stepped onto one, eyes flashing with amusement when it finally hit him after he had pressed the button for the floor they were going to. "If I win, we gotta do this again next weekend."

That would be perfect, because either way Zack won. He'd get to spend time with the chocobo head and probably still be capable of talking him into staying over at his place the next weekend; so long as they weren't brutally murdered by Genesis.

Or Sephiroth, because after dropping these boxes off, the teen was taking Cloud up to the General's office for his next covert mission.

Cloud thought about Zack's offer for a moment. It was tempting, after all the food in the cadet mess hall barely had a right to call itself that, for the slop that was served with a stale biscuit and something that resembled milk or orange juice, but didn't quite taste farm fresh. A good meal, even one a week seemed fair.

The downside actually wasn't as bad as Cloud thought it'd be. He assumed he'd have to be on cleaning duty or some late night detail, but mentally laughed at himself. He was still thinking of Zack as his commanding officer. He should have learned by now that Zack was anything but your typical SOLDIER.

"Alright, you're on." The blonde really didn't see Zack's wager as a loss to him, this was the most exciting thing he had done in years and for once it was fun to be the sneaky one for a change. He never really got into trouble as a kid, despite how the rest of his town saw him. The only thing that would dampen their plans was if they were caught, but Zack's plan seemed to be solid.

He offered Zack his first real smile of the night. It was small, and one had to look close to really see it, but it was there.

The teen's whole face seemed to brighten as he beamed at the cadet. The smile he gave -as small as it was- was a huge win in Zack's mind. He'd almost forgotten to step off the elevators once they opened up to the Urban Development Department's floor. He caught the door with his foot though and stepped off, grinning widely. "Alright!"

The floor of the Urban Development Department wasn't exactly one would call busy, as most of the actual employees were in their offices reading over paperwork and signing it. He felt kind of bad for Reeve who wasn't a bad guy at all, in fact he was one of the few executives in Shinra he liked. "Everyone on this floor is on coffee break about now, so let's drop these off in Reeve's office and get started on our next plan of attack." He said, walking casually to the man's office.

The whole room might have been nice at one point in Reeve's career, but now it was cramped with stacks of papers, boxes of them stacked about the room and filing cabinets overflowing with even more. Zack settled the two boxes he'd been carrying in a corner just out of Reeve's line of sight from his desk with a couple other boxes before he took Cloud's box and sat it with them.

"Phase one, complete. Good work cadet! You'll make a fine SOLDIER yet!" He mussed Cloud's hair in a hand while walking out of the office, a bright smile on his face that seemed to light up the whole floor. "Let's begin phase two!"

Of course, Zack subtly forgot to mention what phase two entailed as he climbed back into the elevator and hit the button for the General's office floor.

TBC


	2. Revelations

Disclaimer: Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- and it's characters (c) Square Enix. Me no own. Just playing with the characters here. ;) Half of this story was done by Shade the Hero. Thanks!

Bahamut: Welcome again! A whole two weeks has passed since Operation: Sleepover has been posted and here we are with the second chapter! :D This chapter introduces both some new characters to the story and a subplot which should prove interesting. Now because this was originally a roleplay, we were actually writing these extra characters in a different scene at the same time as Zack/Cloud. But due to all the breaks in the story, I went and collected all the "second" scenes, and placed them together in the second half of the chapter. Try and remember this because some events are happening at the same time in the second half of the chapter as they were in the first half. But hopefully you'll wind up enjoying it all!

Shade: Enjoy! :)

* * *

**Revelations**

Cloud shook his head as he followed his friend off the elevator. The Second didn't seem to have any cares in the world and if he did, he probably faced them head on with a smile.

Next plan? What exactly was Zack planning next? It couldn't be any worse than the last plan, could it? Once they were back inside of the elevator he tried to tame his now insanely messy hair. He managed to get his spikes somewhat under control, but his gravity-defying hair refused to tame itself completely and once again resembled the head feathers of the common yellow chocobo. Which made Zack's new nickname seem appropriate. At least he didn't call him some crazy like 'Spiky', like the instructor had on his first day before he worked up the courage to correct him.

As the elevator made it's journey up through the Shinra building Cloud thought about what kind of places there were to eat in Midgar. When he had first arrived, he hadn't had any time to actually go sight seeing. "So, what kind of places are there to eat in the city?"

"Man, there's all kinds of places. Fancy restaurants that I don't even know what the menus say, then some nice diners that's affordable and still has good food. There's some really great places in the Slums, too! I'll have to take you there sometime." Zack went off with several different places between Loveless Avenue and the Slums that were worth eating at at least once.

When he stepped off the elevator to Sephiroth's office he was still rattling off the different places and the different foods each one had, heedless of the fact the cadet had probably never been in the General's office.

The office itself was huge and immaculate as always, with the desk at the back wall in the center of the huge, floor to ceiling windows. The teen wanted to do a couple things while in here, but the one he wanted to do most was probably as simple as sitting in the General's chair just once. He turned to Cloud with a wicked smile before he jogged over to the desk like it didn't belong to the General of SOLDIER and the world's most feared and worshipped human being.

Cloud tried not to focus too much on the places Zack mentioned. Even if the new topic was his own fault. After that morning breakfast slop didn't agree with his stomach he purposely missed supper to give it a chance to recover. He would have just eaten the biscuit, but he didn't want to risk breaking any teeth. Now he was trying to keep his stomach quiet.

When the elevator doors opened and they entered their destination Cloud looked around the gigantic room in awe. Sure the walls were bare and there wasn't anything that stuck out, but the room itself was amazing enough. Who on Gaia commanded such a large space? Without realizing it, Cloud had wandered over to the windows and looked out. "Look at this view!" He breathed, completely awestruck.

Back home Cloud could remember the most beautiful view he had ever seen. Climbing almost to the top of one of the mountains and looking out towards the west, he had witnessed the sunset. There was mist descending down the other mountains that seemed to hover over the small town of Nibelheim and was shaded in the softest shades of pink and orange while the sky overhead was a masterpiece of color that faded from orange to yellow to light blue to dark blue and the high clouds overhead were a dark purple. This view wasn't nearly as clean, what with the city's polution making the sky hazy, and it was already almost completely dark out, but just enough sunlight was left that Cloud could see the ocean shimmering in the far distance from the last light of the sun that had already set.

He turned to Zack who had been eyeing the desk right after they arrived. "Whose office is this?"

The 2nd Class teen grinned up at Cloud after he sat himself in the fine leather chair behind the desk, his feet propped up on it like it was his. The chair alone had to be the most comfortable chair in all of Midgar, and he hadn't expected anything less for the General of SOLDIER. "Sephiroth's." He said it so casually and offhanded, like it wasn't the General of SOLDIER's office and just some regular joe's office instead.

The view out the window was pretty fantastic, surely one of the best views Shinra had to offer and it was all Sephiroth's. But the teen wasn't here to enjoy the pretty view. He turned his head back to the desk that his booted feet were propped up on and Mako glowing eyes scanned it quickly.

To his left was the object of his mission here in the General's office. A pen. But not just any pen; Zack knew. This was Sephiroth's favorite pen, the one he used all the time. And the man was very particular on things he liked.

Dropping his feet off the desk, (Which had left a bit of dirt on the otherwise clean papers sitting on said desk) Zack snatched the pen and looked it over, twirling it between his fingers. There was actually faded spots where Sephiroth's fingers held it. Grinning deviously like the mischievous puppy that he was, the black haired teen pulled a tube of Krazy Glue from his pocket and proceeded to open it.

Cloud had been chancing a glance down, just to see exactly how high up they were. The distance from the ground was dizzying, and made Cloud feel unbalanced. The high windows that made up the entire back wall did little to help. A fall from this height meant instant death upon impact with the pavement far below. When the name of the owner registered in the blonde's mind he purposely fell back to prevent himself from colliding with the glass.

"This is General Sephiroth's office?!" Had this been a comedic cartoon his eyes probably would have bulged out from his skull. They were in the General's office. Unsupervised, without authorization and without orders, not to mention out of uniform. Sure, Zack was a Second Class, but General ranked far above that.

Cloud jumped back to his feet and actually managed to glare at his friend. "Do you realize how much trouble we'll be in if anyone catches us in here?! We could be court-marshaled! Please," He begged, "tell me you have permission to be here."

Zack paused in what he was doing and hummed thoughtfully, thinking on a good answer. "Define 'permission'." He grinned up at the cadet. The look he was getting from the blonde was more funny than intimidating, especially since that was the first time he seen the teen look so miffed.

Like a chocobo that just had a feather plucked...

Zack guffawed at the image and shook his head quickly. "Don't...heh...worry...haha!" He managed between fits of laughter. He had to concentrate on the mission at hand if they wanted to get out of the office before the General returned.

When he finally managed to calm down, Zack rubbed a hand over his face and snickered as he spread glue from one end of the pen to the other. Then with the utmost care, placed said pen back on the desk where he had snatched it from; glued side down. He pressed two fingers along the pen to make sure the adhesive got a good hold of the desk before he pulled back, his face beaming with triumph. "Done!"

Replacing the lid to the Krazy Glue, the teen hopped up and offered a smile at the cadet. "Not so bad, right?" He reached a hand out and ruffled Cloud's hair, the blonde spikes sticking up every which way after. "Now let's go. We're far from done for the day, Spiky!"

What had made the Second erupt into laughter, Cloud had no idea. He couldn't see anything funny about their situation. Being caught in Genesis's office would be bad, sure, but the General's? That was deadly territory. He was just relieved when Zack said he was done that he didn't argue further, nor did it really register that his hair was once again sticking out in every direction. Cloud guessed it was a habit that had quickly grown on Zack from the moment they had first met.

As he followed behind the energetic Second, Cloud could only wonder what was next on Zack's agenda.

Zack was still sniggering as he headed back toward the elevator, but he paused and did an about face and quickly dashed back to Sephiroth's desk. "Crap! I completely forgot I wanted to look for something." He glanced at his watch, they still had time before the meeting let out and Sephiroth would be returning to his office. "Cadet! Watch the door for any signs of movement and alert me if something so much as sneezes!"

The 2nd Class was half serious. They'd know as soon as someone was there by the soft 'ding' of the elevator doors opening. But still, one couldn't be too careful when in the General's office.

Just a little over a week earlier, Zack's favorite slingshot had been confiscated by the General. Granted, he could make another one, but that one had been perfect. So what if he had used Heidegger's large rear as target practice with it? It was just a slingshot, not like the teen had used a gun like some of the more brazen cadets did -even if they were bad shots, the 'target' was pretty big and they managed well enough.

Zack himself had gotten a bullseye on one left cheek when he was fresh in SOLDIER.

Regardless, the General had taken the teen's slingshot away and given him fifty laps to run around the training field after. And Angeal refused to help try and talk the man into giving him his slingshot back. So now while Zack had the opportunity, he was going to confiscate it right back.

It was only 'Fair' after all. He snickered at the pun on his own name while searching the General's desk.

Cloud's hand shot up to his forehead in a salute purely out of reflex as he replied with a "Yes sir!" The salute quickly turned into a facepalm. Cloud had only been a cadet for little over a month and already he had a strong habit of following orders from a commanding officer. Normally that'd be a good thing, but when that commanding officer was a teen only two years Cloud's senior and had the attention span of a puppy combined with the mischievous attitude of a nine-year-old kid it wasn't so great.

Regardless, Cloud stood near the elevator, following the order Zack had given him and prayed that the doors remained closed. He tried not to imagine the doors sliding open at any moment and seeing a six foot+ tall General entering his office only to find two teenagers inside. One going through his desk and the other about to pass out from fear.

Pleased with Cloud's quick response (And more than a little amused) Zack continued to search the General's desk until he spied the object of his affection in one of the bottom drawers. "Found it!" He snatched it up and gave it a quick kiss before he shoved it down into his pocket and jogged over to the cadet.

"Good work cadet!" He mussed Cloud's hair in his hand with a bright smile. "Let's go, we gotta get a couple things before we can enter phase three of our plans." He hit the button for the elevator and bounced in place while waiting. "I think you and me, Cloud, we're gonna make one hell of a team! Maybe I'll even become your mentor one day." He said with a grin aimed at the blonde.

He was half joking again, but he did think the teen was fun to be around (And some of his reactions was pure comedy gold) so he'd definitely like to hang around the teen more.

Cloud allowed a smirk at the thought. His dream was to be in SOLDIER and Cloud had been concerned by his lower-than-average scores that he might not make the cut, but with a friend who was a Second Class, his chances just might change for the better. And having a mentor was considered very rare, even among other SOLDIERs. Hearing that gave Cloud some hope and helped him to relax a bit. If someone like Zack believed in him, then maybe he could do it.

"If I ever do become a SOLDIER I'll hold you to that promise."

Zack didn't hold back the mile wide grin as he stepped onto the elevator. "Well I'm a man of my word so you can bet your spiky hair that I'll keep it!" He'd have to tell Angeal later about this, and he could only imagine what his own mentor thought of him one day having a student.

That thought aside, Zack needed to focus on the present and he pressed the button for the lobby floor. "Alright, next we'll need a bag of fertilizer and a bucket of water. There should be some fertilizer kept in a storage room outside behind the barracks and a bucket. Reeve always insists keeping spare fertilizer like Shinra's really gonna do some planting." He rolled his eyes, everyone knew Shinra didn't care about plants like Reeve did.

"We'll fill the bucket up, and enter into phase three, step two." He grinned and gave the cadet a thumbs up.

Cloud looked up at his air as the elevator arrived and the door slid open to let them in. Was it still spiky? Zack had messed with it so much it was hard to tell. Cloud felt something odd then. Something that was hard to place. It was a similar feeling to when Tifa had said that she'd miss him on the day he left for SOLDIER. And again when his mother told him how proud she was of her son. It was realization that someone actually truly cared about him. And now that it looked like they'd escape with their lives after messing around in both Genesis's apartment and Sephiroth's office he felt himself truly relax for the first time that night.

Cloud could only guess what they were going to do with a bag of fertilizer and a bucket of water. "Well, you haven't gotten us killed yet, so it can't be that bad."

Zack bounced in place with a grin and he nodded. "That's the spirit!" He slapped Cloud on the back playfully as the elevators finally reached the first floor. "Trust me, what's next is so worth it and the guy deserves it." He squinted his eyes and thought for a moment. "You know who Hojo is, right?" He asked in a hushed whisper, like someone was going to hear them talking in the elevator.

The man was a madman, everyone should know -and fear- his name. Even Sephiroth couldn't stand the guy and word was Hojo was Sephiroth's father. Not that anyone acknowledged that because Sephiroth was ten times the man Hojo was.

"He's the scientist to fear around here. Real whack-job. We're gonna be playing a little joke on him next." He grinned deviously at his plot.

The last thing Cloud expected was a hearty slap on the back as he stumbled forward a bit, just managing to catch himself before slamming his face into the side of the elevator. He somewhat envied Zack for his Mako strength. "Hojo?" The blonde knew he had heard of that name somewhere. Oh wait.

"Isn't he the one who gives the Mako injections to all the SOLDIERs?"

"Yeah." Zack nodded while walking off the elevators. "He's the head of the Science Department. He's a huge creeper. Don't get caught with your pants down around that guy." Zack paused then shook his head. "Actually just don't get caught alone with him ever." He talked while walking down the stairs into the lobby of the Shinra building then headed for the doors, waving and stopping occasionally to say hi to a 2nd Class or two.

He didn't even pay no mind to the looks his 2nd Class buddies were shooting in Cloud's direction, he figured that hair got a lot of attention no matter where the teen goes.

"So anyway," He continued, looking back to make sure Cloud was actually following along. "We're gonna be playing a joke on him." He winked at the cadet and grinned mischievously.

**xoxo**

Meanwhile several floors down in one of Shinra's largest meeting rooms, Genesis was glancing at the back of his gloved hand, pretending to be somewhat interested in what the President was yammering on about. It was nice to finally be back from his mission and he was looking forward to sitting back on his favorite couch, drinking his favorite drink and reading his favorite book. It would be the perfect way to wind down after a peace treaty mission no less. Honestly why had they bothered sending him? Weren't peace missions more Angeal's thing? He would have been a far better choice.

Glancing over at the other two Firsts he huffed at the thought. Angeal had probably talked his way out of it in order to spend more time with that annoying pup.

And as far as Sephiroth being deployed went, the President seemed to want his precious General to remain in Midgar for some reason or another. It had been like that for the past two months. Though, Genesis didn't feel too jealous. No action for Sephiroth meant a mountain of paperwork instead. The red-clad Commander couldn't hide a smirk at the thought of dumping his latest batch of forms onto the General's pile.

The General didn't miss Genesis's smirk as he glanced at him, and he could only imagine what the Commander was thinking. He was either thinking of something along the lines of sex, setting the President's head on fire, blowing up Hojo's lab -again- or dumping all his paperwork on Sephiroth. Again.

His sharp green eyes flickered to his wry Commander and the corner of his lips twitched just the smallest. He would have 'subtly' hit Genesis upside the head to scold him for whatever he was thinking, but he had to conduct himself properly for the meeting.

Sephiroth just turned his gaze back to the President, which always made the man flinch. Why he didn't know, he'd never harmed the man or even raised his voice to him, but it was mildly amusing to see the President of Shinra to flinch so easily at something as benign as a glance from the Silver General.

Genesis caught Sephiroth's glance at him and knew he probably wanted to knock Genesis's smirk right off his pretty face, so when the General turned to look back at the President he quickly stuck out his tongue. No one saw him, the other occupants eyes were either on the President or the General. It was fun to get away with stuff like that sometimes.

The President tried to ignore the stare from his General as he continued the meeting. "And lastly I want to address the growing problem we have with those terrorists in the Slums. I want to know what's being done about their growing threat. My resources tell me they may be planning to strike one of our compounds. They may be only cockroaches, but for every one you see there's a hundred more you don't. I want them all squashed."

He gathered what little courage he had before turning to Sephiroth. "General, what have you learned about their recent movements lately? Have you or Lazard received any reports of possible hidden location where the rats may be hiding?"

Sephiroth leaned his chin onto his wrist as he stared at the President. The man could be dense sometimes, but he'd explain again if it pleased him. Not to mention it was always mildly humorous to see him so nervous around him. "The people of the Slums won't be helpful in figuring out their location because they're too afraid of them themselves." He said, eyes cutting across the rest of the table before he turned his Mako glowing gaze back on the President.

"We've tightened security everywhere they may be able to get above the Plates and added new bots to regularly scan our vital points that Avalanche may strike. We've also been cracking down on sells of weaponry that could pose a substantial threat in the Slums, including arresting several arms dealers."

He paused just to make sure the man was following him before continuing. "We have determined that their likeliest target will be one of the reactors so we're increasing traffic with Infantrymen and bots to those locations. It will be difficult for them to get past everyone without being spotted. For every five Infantrymen, there's one SOLDIER deployed with them." He finished, leaving it at that.

What the President didn't know was that things like this wasn't something that even Sephiroth could clean up overnight, especially when met with residence from the people that may know names and locations for the group involved. But he wasn't going to waste his breath again.

Angeal, whom had been sitting quietly and commenting only when needed, cleared his throat and nodded to the President. "We'll report anything as soon as we learn of it." He stood up to his full height to show he was done and so were the rest of them as he could sense Sephiroth's patience was running thin with the President. He wanted to end the meeting quickly before he or Genesis decided to bite the hand that fed them.

Genesis failed to keep a winning grin off his face. He couldn't tell which was more amusing. The President's attempts not to wet himself or Sephiroth's obvious annoyance.

When the others began to rise, Genesis joined them, but stretched his arms out and failed to hold back a yawn. "Well, if we are quite done here I'd like to retire early. Traveling does tend to sap one's strength."

"How did the mission go?" Asked the President. "Did you succeed?"

At this the red Commander actually glared at the President. "It went fine under the circumstances. The peace treaty still holds strong, but I'm afraid I couldn't locate the assigned target. Therefore I could not carry out my mission to your liking, sir."

And that was an understatement and actually untrue. He had found the target, but he was not about to carry out something so cruel. Genesis may pride himself in causing massive carnage, but not when it involved children. He gave the other two Firsts a look that said, 'I'll tell you later' before nodding to the President and storming out of the room.

The silver haired General didn't even bother to think of asking later and he stood to follow Genesis out. He was glad to be free of this grueling meeting, especially when there was really no need for it since the status on finding out about Avalanche's movements and locations were still slow going at best.

"Remind me to thank you later, Angeal." He mused quietly, cutting his eyes over to the raven 1st Class.

Angeal just chuckled and waved his hand while he followed his two friends out. "Don't mention it. I need to find Zack before he gets himself into trouble. I can only leave him alone for an hour before he starts plotting things a puppy shouldn't be plotting." He snorted at the thought.

And it seemed Zack was ten times worse on the weekends, so he had to keep an extra tight leash on said puppy during that time.

Genesis was glaring as he stood at the closed elevator doors and watched the numbers light up as it made it's way down. Of course whoever it was had to be going from a high level down to the lobby. In a failed attempt to hide the fact that he was actually growling he made his way over to the stairs. He didn't feel like waiting for the elevator and a walk may help clear his head. However doubtful that was.

Glancing back at the other two Firsts who were behind him, Genesis flashed them a look that asked them to follow. Normally, he'd suffer in silence and shoot off a few fire balls from the roof or take out his rage in their favorite training room, but this certain turn of events couldn't be dealt with alone. He needed advice from his friends before he did something rash.

Sephiroth didn't mind waiting for the elevators, but when Genesis was like this there was no point in arguing with the 1st Class, so he followed behind the Commander to the stairwell. "No patience as always. I'm glad to see Wutai hasn't changed that." He said quietly, chuckling. But he knew Genesis needed and wanted to talk about something, and he was concerned for his friend.

Angeal was doubly concerned, and although Sephiroth didn't show he was, Angeal certainly did. He frowned and followed, walking by Genesis in the stairs. "Alright Gen, no prying eyes or ears here. You okay?" He asked, gripping the man's shoulder in a firm but gentle hold to show Genesis he was there for him.

Had he not needed Sephiroth's input on this matter Genesis would have shot a sharp retort in the General's direction, but instead he let out a stress-filled sigh as Angeal reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder. He stopped walking then and turned to his comrades. They all knew it without exchanging words, but none of them would deny how strong their friendship was. Genesis trusted them more than any others in the world which is why he decided to open up honestly to them now.

"No, actually. I'm not." He sighed again before mentally saying to hell with classified. The President could go jump off his own tower for all he cared.

"That mission had nothing to do with the peace treaty." He waited for their reactions before continuing. "My going to the Wutai capital was just for show. The real reason I was sent was to kill their princess." He clenched his fists. "What the President neglected to inform me was that the princess was nothing but a child. Yes, I did find her, but..."

This was where Genesis smirked. He remembered her getting the drop on him. HIM! Genesis Rhapsodos. He remembered her stealing his Materia right from under his nose and he had to hunt her down and hold her upside down by her ankles to get his stolen items back. He remembered her making him smile and how she reminded him of himself. He remembered her telling him that he was more fun to play with than her subjects or other SOLDIERs that wandered into 'her' territory. He remembered the feeling he had when he mentally admitted to himself that he couldn't go through with his mission and let her go.

"But I couldn't bring myself to kill her. I'd rather kill the President himself before carrying out those orders."

To anyone else those words would have screamed treason and he'd probably be instantly court-marshaled, but these two understood him far better than anyone ever did, and he needed their support.

Sephiroth was always one to follow orders, but he did occasionally "decline" such orders that he simply didn't see the need to follow or didn't feel was right. President Shinra was easy enough for him to scare out of such orders, but Genesis and Angeal weren't so lucky and either had to do this -which was to lie about it- or grudgingly do it.

So his expression didn't even twitch to register this as some type of act of treason on his friend's part. "Yuffie Kisaragi. I know her. I'm a bit surprised the President wanted her dead, though." He didn't find the girl to be that much of a threat to the President, however.

Angeal frowned at his friend's confession. Not because he disapproved of Genesis not doing it but because he thought it was a ridiculous order to be given. "I should be surprised but I suppose after all these years and knowing how the President works I'm really not. You did the right thing to let her go." He smiled proudly and patted Genesis's shoulder to try and ease his stress.

If it had been him he wouldn't have done anything differently, and he hopes one day that will be Zack making the better choice. "But he's going to try and send someone else. Possibly even me to finish it." He sighed tiredly at the very thought.

A wasted trip to Wutai because he refuses to do something so cruel as to kill an innocent girl just because of who her father is.

TBC


	3. Pranks Ahoy

Disclaimer: Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- and it's characters (c) Square Enix. Me no own. Just playing with the characters here. ;) Half of this story was done by Shade the Hero. Thanks!

Shade: Hey guys! Hope you're enjoying the story so far. Chapter three has finally arrived! :) I realize that there are some detail issues and a few spelling and grammar errors here and there and while in the middle of the RP they didn't seem that big of an issue, but once the story gets farther underway previous chapters will be gone over and edited. So, just hang tight, alright? Enjoy! ^_^

Bahamut: Bahamut here! I completely forgot to update this last week, haha! But here it is, and hopefully it will be worth the wait! ;) As Shade mentioned, we know there are a couple spelling/grammar errors here and there and we'll try to fix them up. I am proofreading it but no one is perfect and I'm far from it myself. XD And also remember, this is still pulled from an RP. I promise you nothing is out of order, so no worries there. :) Now enjoy chapter three everyone! :D

* * *

**Pranks Ahoy**

While Cloud didn't believe most of the rumors floating around the Cadets about the three Firsts there was far too many warnings about the Science Department for some of it not to be true. While the blonde hadn't heard of Hojo much by name, there were plenty of things said about him to know to avoid him like the plague. Even some of the Thirds had said terrifying things about the man. And hearing it confirmed by Zack made it even worse.

"But, if he's so dangerous, then why is he even in charge?" He ducked his head shyly around the other Second Class SOLDIERs as they passed them by. Had he not been so focused on staying close to Zack he would have thrown them a respectful salute.

When Zack mentioned playing a joke on him Cloud blinked in confusion. "Is that why we're going to get the fertilizer?"

"Because by all reports he's the smartest guy on the planet. To be honest though I think Sephiroth's smarter." Zack grinned a bit and glanced at Cloud. "Don't tell him I said that though, he doesn't know how to take a good compliment like that I don't think." He sniggered and walked out of the main doors of the Shinra building.

With the barracks located across the way, Zack marched toward them and where the shed would be that should have the fertilizer. "And to answer your other question, that's definitely why we're going to get the fertilizer. Trust me on this little dude!" He patted Cloud's head, which didn't even flatten a single spike.

Zack had recently come across a blueprint of the ventilation shafts of Shinra (Courtesy of a specific redheaded Turk) and his plan would be perfect to ruin whatever Hojo was currently working on. If nothing else, he'd be stuck with the smell for weeks. That alone made Zack suddenly burst into laughter at the very thought.

Cloud raised an eye brow at Zack's comment regarding the General. When Cloud would ever get a chance to speak with the great Sephiroth was beyond him. Heck, Cloud still found it hard to believe that he was on speaking terms with a Second Class SOLDIER, let alone his friend.

It was all the cadet could do not to shrug. If he made SOLDIER chances were he'd have to meet Hojo sooner or later, so getting some form of payback may be worth whatever discomfort the scientist would cause him in the future. "Well, you can count on me," He told Zack as they made their way towards the barracks.

Glancing over at the cadet compound Cloud saw some of his squad hanging about. They were staring at him and Cloud overheard one of them chuckling. "Looks like Strife's gotten himself into trouble." Said one. Cloud couldn't see the speaker clearly in the dark, but it sounded like Mathews.

"'bout time that punk did something gutsy," Commented another. Was it Daniels, maybe? Either way they thought he was in trouble. Cloud merely rolled his eyes. Those guys were the same as the kids back home. Not worth his time. Always judging him and never willing to get to know him before passing judgement. This only made Cloud grateful for Zack's friendship all the more. He had been the complete opposite.

The teen beamed at Cloud and slung an arm around his shoulders. "Yeah, that's what I thought! You're a real trooper, Spiky!" He grinned and looked ahead, spotting the shed where their objective was. "There's our next objective!" He said, jogging ahead and using his keys to open said shed.

Because some cadets might get the same ideas as a certain puppy, the shed was kept locked and only SOLDIERs actually had keys. Of course, no one had taken into account that once in SOLDIER, one Zack Fair would be just as bad as any cadets when concerning pranks and the like.

Especially when Angeal was busy. When the mentor was away, the puppy will play.

"If you ever need anything outta here -not that there's much to get, really- but if there's something you need just ask me! Most don't like cadets going to where they're not supposed to, but really, what trouble could they cause in a shed?" Zack failed to see what he himself was attempting to do with the contents of the shed as being trouble, it seemed.

It was all Cloud could do to not laugh at his friend's actions. Seriously, what was with this guy? Cloud had never had the urge to laugh before, let alone fight to hold his laughter back. He never really had a reason to laugh before. The blonde really needed to stop being surprised by this kind of thing.

As Cloud hurried to catch up with his friend he didn't even pay attention to the shocked expressions of the other cadets who had seen the entire display. Their jaws had hit the ground with shock. The blonde cadet nodding in response to the offer. He wasn't sure when he'd need something in here, but you never know.

Swinging the door wide open, Zack walked in and looked around. He quickly found a bag of fertilizer and a bucket and he turned to look at Cloud with a wry smile. "So, which do you wanna carry? The fertilizer or the bucket of water? C'mon, I can't carry it all!"

Well, technically he could carry it all but it was more fun if the teen actually participated in the prank. And it would seem less suspicious if Zack wasn't the only one carrying something. He did have a bit of a reputation around Shinra, after all. Not that the unsuspecting chocobo knew that.

Cloud walked over to the bag of Fertilizer and lifted it up, before almost falling right over. What was this, a fifty pound bag? He checked the weight on the bottom. Oh. It was. Oh well. He needed to put on some muscle anyway and this (odd or silly as it was) would do nothing but help him get stronger.

"I'll carry the heavy stuff this time." Which only seemed fair after Zack carried two boxes to and from Genesis's apartment.

Zack tried not to laugh, he really did try for Cloud's sake, but the laughter burst out of him before he could truly put the brakes on. The way the teen had nearly fallen over was so comical it almost didn't seem real. But he had to remind himself Cloud didn't have any Mako in his system yet.

Still sniggering, Zack grabbed the bucket and ruffled Cloud's hair. "Alright, sure thing tough guy. The fertilizer's all yours. Let's go fill this bucket up and head to our next stop." He said, smiling at Cloud.

It looked a little funny to him when he was carrying an empty bucket and a cadet was carrying a bag of fertilizer, but he had given Cloud the choice and he wouldn't belittle him by taking that choice away. So he walked out of the shed with bucket in hand and a spiky haired teen carrying a bag of fertilizer. Nothing suspicious about this, nope.

As Cloud followed Zack out of the shed and back across the yard he noticed that the number of cadets had grown. At least, it sounded that way from the hushed voices he could pick up. The buildings around here made sound carry and bounce very well. He'd have to remember that in the future.

The other cadets didn't know what to make of the scene they were watching. The original two thought they saw the SOLDIER being all chummy with Cloud, but now it seemed more like a punishment after all, or so they assumed, considering he was carrying a heavy bag of fertilizer. He wouldn't falter under their gaze though. Adjusting the bag on his shoulder he held his head up high as he followed in line behind Zack.

Let the others think what they want. He knew the truth and he didn't give a Chocobo's butt what they thought.

The teen didn't even seem concerned with the growth of cadets watching them as he locked the doors back up and started walking toward the hose that lay near by. He stopped near it and swiped it up, starting to fill said bucket he'd brought and glancing at Cloud. "You don't have to stand there and hold that while this is being filled up." He offered a smiled and ruffled the teen's hair.

Rocking back on his heels he looked around and spotted the large crowd of cadets. He'd seen a few faces before that were in Cloud's classes. Grinning a bit deviously, he could only imagine what they thought the two teens were doing.

"So, Cloud, those your friends?" He asked, jabbing a thumb in their direction. He didn't miss the startled looks at being gestured at by a 2nd Class. Even if Zack was in casual clothing, he was well known and if nothing else his bright Mako glowing eyes gave him away. He didn't actually think Cloud had any other friends because he hadn't seen him even talk to anyone else.

Glad for the small break, he set the bag down carefully at his feet while he rolled his shoulder. It popped a few times, but felt better afterwards. When Zack gestured to the other cadets Cloud couldn't resist rolling his eyes. "Not really. They just like to make a habit out of watching every move I make."

He never did fit in well with groups, but with those other teens he felt even more out of place than he did back home. At least he knew what boys like Kevin and Danny were capable of. One well-aimed rock or fist to the jaw sent them home crying, but these boys, they came from different backgrounds and Cloud would be that they were tougher than a couple of neighborhood bullies. They were trying to enlist in SOLDEIR after all.

Zack hummed thoughtfully, wondering what he could do with that information. "Well, cadet, wanna play a little practical joke on them?" He asked, winking at the teen.

He shifted where he stood so they couldn't see his huge grin, still filling the bucket with the hose. "How would they react when a little cadet like yourself yelled and gave a 2nd Class an order, for, say, 'accidentally' getting water on your pants? I'd have no choice but to drop and give you twenty." He grinned mischievously at Cloud.

He didn't mind making a fool out of himself like others might, and if it helped boosted the teen's confidence then he'd be more than happy to. Besides, he'd love to see the look on all the cadets faces when Cloud yelled at him. That would just be too funny.

"Wha'd'ya say, Spiky? Think you can make it look real?" He waggled his brows at Cloud, eyes glinting with the deviousness he was so well known for.

Cloud wished that he had met Zack years ago. His childhood would have so much different. It wouldn't have been lonely, or boring that's for sure. Cloud took back what he originally thought of the Second Class. He wasn't crazy. He was a_ genius_!

Cloud didn't smile, because the other cadets were still watching him, wondering what he was doing with a SOLDIER with Zack's reputation, but his eyes said it all. Though, he couldn't help but smirk a bit when Zack asked if he could make it look real. "Does my hair look like a chocobo?" Hey, if everyone else got to tease him and point it out, then so could he.

Cloud was all for Zack's plan. And maybe it would get the other cadets to actually leave him alone for a while.

Zack beamed at the teen, glad to know he'd be on board. Cloud seemed to slowly be opening up more and relaxing around Zack which made all his efforts worth it. "You bet your skinny butt it does." He said wryly, snickering so hard he snorted a few times.

But he had to keep from laughing. The thing about Zack though, when he was given an order (Even a fake one) he could make it look good.

So with the simplest of ease his wrist flicked and the hose sprayed the bottoms of Cloud's pants. He looked at Cloud then, his eyes going comically wide at the sight of what he'd done. "Oh, shi-, hey I'm so sorry about that!" He quickly turned the water off and made a show of trying to apologize to Cloud for getting his pants soaked.

He could hear the cadets laughing at Cloud. Now he'd see how the chocobo would react and if he could go with the plan in full swing.

From where Cloud stood, he could see Mathews motioning towards Cloud's now wet pant legs and leaning against another cadet as they shared a good laugh. Cloud was going to enjoy this...

Glaring down at Zack, he attempted to give him the most intense glare he could muster. _Think cold, like Sephiroth,_ He thought to himself. "What the HELL! I heard you were crazy, but are you so incompetent that you can't even fill up a bucket of water?! This is SOLDIER, not Kindergarten! Drop down and give me twenty!"

Zack's eyes went even wider -if that was even possible- and he gave his biggest teary-eyed, whipped puppy look. "I-I'm so sorry! Yessir!" He said, dropping down with years of practiced ease to start doing the pushups. He had to admit, Cloud was a pretty good actor.

And man could he be scary serious for a cadet. Zack did everything he could to not laugh as he did the desired pushups. Especially when he could practically _hear_ the other cadets' jaws hit the ground. He couldn't actually control the choked back snorts of laughter, but from his position and with the distance between them it probably came out more like choked sobs.

Which could only add to the whole scenario of Cloud sticking it to a 2nd Class. Oh yes, this was one of Zack's best ideas to date.

Cloud was both surprised and a little impressed with himself. Except for that one incident at the bridge leading to the Nibelheim reactor he had never yelled at another person before. He was just glad this time he didn't stutter, and boy was it hard not to break into a grin when Zack dropped down. Seeing the reaction of the other cadets was another challenge to keep a straight face.

Mathews who had been laughing before was still leaning on his buddy's shoulder, but it was only to hold him up from falling in disbelief. Cloud Strife, the shyest, quietest, most timid cadet had yelled at a Second Class SOLDIER and the guy actually listened!

Cloud looked up at them with the same intense glare. He wanted to ask them if they wanted to be next, but he didn't want to push his luck. It was hard enough keeping a straight face as it was.

It still had the desired effect when a few of them walked away the moment Cloud made eye contact, but two others, including Mathews hovered for a moment longer. That is, until Cloud's glare intensified even more and the one Mathews had been leaning on tugged him by the arm, finally pulling him away.

When they had finally left and Cloud and Zack were the only ones left in the area, he fell back and landed softly in the dirt. "Man, that was...wow. What just happened?"

Zack sprung up to his feet in an instant, not even having broken a sweat and he burst into laughter. Wow that had been tough to hold back. He squatted down to his haunches and looked at Cloud with a mile wide grin. "You, my little chocobo, just prankd your whole class. Congratulations and welcome to the ranks of master pranksters."

He laughed and reached out, ruffling Cloud's blonde spikes before holding his hand out for the cadet to take. "That was priceless! Man, you actually looked so serious it was kind of scary on such a cute face!" He laughed again, the look on Cloud's face had been utterly priceless.

This was the greatest thing the teen had pulled off in a while and it felt good to give Cloud that boost in confidence that he obviously needed around the other cadets. He'd call that a win even if he had to make a fool out of himself to get it.

**xoxo**

Genesis could only shake his head. "Isn't it obvious Sephiroth? The President doesn't want the war to end. During the war everyone was busy. There was always only one of us stationed here at any one time. Many more SOLDIERs were brought into the program, and his stocks and earnings went through the roof. War has made him rich and power hungry and ever since it ended he's been wanting more. If the princess were to be killed the war would start up again and who knows how long it'd last this time?"

Genesis knew he did the right thing, but hearing what Angeal said only made him angry at himself. "I should have lied further and said I had killed her. At least then she'd be out of danger for a while longer."

He suddenly realized something worse. Turning to Angeal he glared at his friend with determination. "We can't let him send a Turk. Those second-rate assassins won't even hesitate." He hated that he had let the girl get so close to him personally. But it was just so damn hard. It both angered and thrilled him to have such a strong urge to protect her.

"Besides, as his only living heir, Princess Yuffie would make an excellent ruler when her time came to take her nation's throne. I think the President wants to stop that from happening."

Normally Sephiroth would have been agitated by Genesis's attitude toward him, but considering his state of mind he let it slide. He still hated to think that was the reason, but he knew it had to be more than likely true. Which made the General angry at the President, though he hid his anger easier than Genesis.

"Have a little faith in the Turks, especially with Tseng as their acting leader right now. Tseng's a reasonable man and even he knows when the President has gone too far. I'll speak to him about this later." He turned his gaze toward the wall like he was considering something, but he shook his head instead.

"It was better that you didn't lie about having killed her." He said, turning his gaze back on his friend. "President Shinra would have eventually found out the truth, and when he did you'd have been court-martialed. There would have been nothing I could have done for you then. This way however, was the smarter path to take on the situation."

Angeal nodded in agreement with Sephiroth on that. "Sephiroth's right Gen, it's better that you simply said you couldn't find her then saying you killed her when you didn't. Look, Sephiroth will talk to Tseng about this. I know he's a Turk, but he's actually a good man, and the other Turks are loyal to him, not Shinra." He tried to offer a smile to settle Genesis down.

"What you need to do right now though, is not worry about this. You just got home, Seph will talk to Tseng and Shinra won't send anyone else under our noses after her, so for now she's safe and sound in Wutai. You need to relax, get something to drink and Goddess forbid quote a little Loveless to settle your mind after this whole thing." He chuckled a bit at that last statement, but even he could only handle so much Loveless before it started to grind on his nerves.

Genesis tried to put a face to the name Tseng. In all honesty, he hadn't met many Turks. There had been those two he had seen in the SOLDIER mess hall once. A red-headed pony tail punk with goggles and his suit untucked and unbuttoned and the other had darker skin with sunglasses and a frown that rivaled Sephiroth's.

Normally Genesis would hate that Sephiroth would be right, but the fact that his General agreed with him made it more tolerable. The Commander was many things, but he hated lying. If it hadn't been to save a life or angering his two friends or the energetic pup he wouldn't dream of telling a fib.

"I'll take your word for it," He replied to Angeal before his eyes grew wide with realization. He was right! He hadn't quoted his beloved Loveless once since his return! That had to be fixed immediately!

_"The gift of the goddess is what the three men seek_  
_But their fates are scattered by war_  
_One is taken captured, one flies away_  
_And the last becomes a hero_  
_But the three are still bound by a solemn oath_  
_To seek the answer together, once again"_

With that fitting quote out of the way he sighed with relief. Loveless was like therapy to the Commander which was one of the reasons he was still sane after all his time as a SOLDIER.

Snorting quietly, the General turned to Angeal. "You had to remind him. I'll be sure to pay you back in training next time." He said, though he was serious about that. But even he could notice a difference in Genesis's personality, and he was pleased to see the Commander relaxing -even if it was at the cost of his possible sanity.

Shaking his head, Sephiroth looked back to Genesis as he started walking up the stairs. "Before he goes on further with the context of that quote, I'll be heading to my office. Did you get those forms done?" He asked, raising a single silver brow at his friend.

Angeal tried not to groan outwardly, he had suggested it after all. But he was well used to Genesis's obsession by now and he managed a smile instead. "That's more like the Genesis I know. Now that we're all settled on those matters, how about we have dinner together this weekend? Seph's place? Since you just got back." He asked with a smile.

He didn't miss the look Sephiroth shot his way about having it at his place, but they all knew the General secretly enjoyed having his friends at his empty apartment.

"I think I can manage to keep Zack tamed long enough to sit through dinner." He chuckled, knowing that if he had dinner with his friends he had to bring his puppy along otherwise he'd never hear the end of it.

Genesis pouted a bit at the expected responses from his friends. "Insulting a pure golden novel such as Loveless, You two should embrace the classics." Though, he was inwardly smiling. This was more like it. He slung an arm around his raven-haired friend's shoulder. "Dinner you say? You mean real food? I like Wutai noodles as much as the next guy, but eating it for two weeks straight is no way to keep a healthy diet. Will there be pizza?"

He grimaced a bit at the mention of paperwork. "Oh please, my dear General. I just got back and am trying to come out of a bad mood and you want to drag me back down with talk of paperwork? I know mercy isn't your thing, but just this once you might want to practice?"

Sephiroth had to stop himself from rolling his eyes. "No to pizza in my apartment. Perhaps Italian will be more to your liking though." He walked up the steps and when they reached the floor where his office was he walked out. "And I'll show you mercy the day you don't quote Loveless."

He allowed himself the smallest of smirks because he knew that day would never come. Genesis couldn't go a single day without quoting it.

Angeal let out a laugh at their exchange and wrapped an arm around Genesis's shoulder. "Well, that's that. Sorry Gen, doesn't look like you'll ever be given mercy from Sephiroth." He smiled wryly and patted his shoulder. "Don't feel too bad, you torture him just as much with your quotes of Loveless so I think you two are even."

He smiled fondly at the two. Times like these were what reminded him how close they really were. "Back on the topic of dinner tomorrow, I think Italian will make everyone happy. Can you live with that?" He smiled a bit at Genesis.

Genesis scrunched up his face a bit in a pout towards the General before Angeal laughed. It was strange how that man's laughter could brighten up a room. It even did the impossible on many occasion and made Sephiroth smile. Genesis had tried, sure, but only Angeal had ever succeeded. "No pizza and paperwork? I'll have to drill that entire play into his subconscious in return. Sephiroth will be quoting Loveless in his sleep by the time I'm through with him."

And there came the famous Genesis grin. By now they should both know that he could back up his threats when pushed far enough.

He turned and grinned brightly at Angeal. "For you my friend, I can endure almost anything, even that annoying little pup of yours. Have you managed to find a strong enough leash for him while I was away? Or even better, a muzzle? At least tell me he's finally house broken."

Sephiroth gave a grunt in response and walked into his office without another word. He knew Genesis would hold true to his word, and that was something to be concerned for when it dealt with the General's mental health.

Stepping around his desk, green Mako glowing eyes immediately spotted the dirt left on top of it. He stopped, not even sitting down. Who had been in his office? Staring at the dirt his lips twitched to a slight frown. "Someone was in my office." That shouldn't normally be alarming to him, but it was when he hadn't been in it for an hour.

Angeal chuckled at his friend's comment about Zack. "No leash this side of the continent is strong enough for him, trust me I've tried them all." He said teasingly, smiling fondly at the thought of the teen. "He'd just whine nonstop with the muzzle on. And sadly he's yet to be house broken."

He was about to laugh but stopped himself when Sephiroth suddenly spoke up about someone being in his office. He broke away from Genesis and looked at the dirt on his desk, eyes flashing with concern.

Genesis wanted to sigh in defeat upon hearing that his friend's pupil still had yet to be properly trained, but stopped short before hearing Sephiroth mention something about a possible intruder? Genesis entered the room and glanced around. Nothing seemed amiss, then again there wasn't much to the large place. It was a shame to have such a massive space and hardly use any of it.

Looking down he saw something that the General seemed to have missed. He lowered himself until he was balancing on his ankles and gently poked the carpet with his finger. There were indents of a pair of boots here. They were starting to fade, but the detail was still easy enough to see for a First Class SOLDIER.

"It seems we have a curious SOLDIER here, possibly even a cadet, judging by the standard Cadet-issued boot prints here." He examined the direction the boots were facing as well as their position. "I think there was more than one. This fellow here was obviously a lookout." He nodded his head to indicate the distance between the prints and the elevator doors.

Sephiroth looked up from his desk and the dirt that was annoying him to see the foot prints Genesis had spotted. So two intruders were in here while he was gone. That wasn't good. He looked around the rest of his desk but didn't notice anything missing.

As he sat down to go through his drawers, he immediately noticed how all of them had been gone through. "They were looking for something in my desk." Now he was more than just alarmed. He had papers that shouldn't be seen by anyone lower ranked than himself and no executive needed to see his papers either.

Then the one thing he didn't even find to be important was missing and he leaned forward to press his fingers against his temple. "Zack."

Angeal was getting more alarmed until one word came out of Sephiroth's mouth, and he facepalmed immediately. "What did he do Seph..." He had only left Zack alone for an hour, an hour! And the teen had gone to the General's office with someone? He couldn't even fathom what had gone through that teen's spiky haired head.

Upon hearing that name Genesis looked up at Angeal with a big grin. "Remind me to keep a look out for leashes the next time I'm deployed to Wutai." He stood up and brushed himself off before making his way over towards the desk. "Tell me, General, how did you realize it was our favorite puppy who was in here? And better yet..."

He glanced back to the spot where the foot prints were stationed. "What poor fool was roped into his games?"

"I don't know who he brought, but I know it was him." Sephiroth closed his drawers and glanced up at them. "That slingshot I confiscated from him after he was using Heidegger's...rear...as target practice, is missing." He snorted. Honestly it had been amusing but he still had to take the slingshot away from the teen.

Angeal groaned and rubbed his face, glancing at the General with a weak smile. "I'm sorry Seph, I'll make sure to get it back from him." Only Zack would be brave enough -or stupid enough, Angeal couldn't tell- to actually break into the General's office and steal something that had been taken away from him to begin with.

Genesis burst out laughing. "I'll never forget that day. The poor fool clapped his hands to his behind and rolled around in the dirt shouting '_I'm hit! I'm hit! We're under attack!'_" The Commander held his sides he was laughing so hard.

It took a minute or two, but when he finally managed to control his laughter he wiped a tear from his eye. "That was the only time I felt like praising the young pup." Yet, he also wished it had been him who had done the same, only with a fireball instead of a simple, harmless rock. The only thing injured that day was the fat man's pride.

Genesis was suddenly struck with an epiphany. One that could get him out of doing his paperwork for a while.

Placing a hand on Angeal's shoulder he shook his head in understanding. "Zack has come to expect you to always be the one to catch him when he gets into trouble. Perhaps this time I should be the one to confront him. I might be able to get him to use his brain for once and think about his actions in the future. After all, they do not call me a fiery red-head for nothing." He threw in a wink with his smirk to make it look good.

The Silver General was capable of containing his amusement far better than Genesis, though he'd be lying if he said it hadn't amused him even a bit when it happened. "As humorous as it was, he shouldn't have had a slingshot or shot people with it. Especially people like a Shinra executive such as Heidegger."

Shaking his head, Sephiroth glanced to Angeal. He did feel a little bad for the man, having to put up with Zack all the time. And he really had become soft, favoring the teen and such. When Sephiroth reached for his usual pen -more out of habit when sitting at his desk for more than five minutes- he was surprised for a second time since entering his office that day.

His pen didn't budge.

He applied more strength but it wasn't going anywhere. Eyes glowing with annoyance now, he turned to Angeal and Genesis. "It appears he also decided to glue my pen down." Now he was more involved than he had been about the slingshot.

The bigger 1st looked at Genesis warily. "You're not going to try and set him on fire are you? I can handle taking back a silly slingshot without possibly maiming my student or anyone else in the vicinity." He said wryly as he crossed his thick corded arms over his chest.

He didn't actually think Genesis would hurt his student but with that temper of his one couldn't be too careful.

"If you can do it without maiming him fine. But at least go easy on whoever he talked into helping. The poor cadet probably doesn't know any better about being around a hyperactive 2nd Class like Zack." He rolled his eyes a bit, he could only imagine what Zack had said to the cadet that had helped about what they were doing.

He turned to Sephiroth though when he suddenly said that his pen had been glued down and the stoic Commander did a full on facepalm. "Oh Goddess tell me he didn't..." He should have leashed Zack to his apartment until the meeting was done. He knew better by now, really he did.

Genesis couldn't resist sticking out his lower lip in a pout. "Aw, but torching cadets is one of my favorite pass times."

He was lying of course. He had never actually harmed a cadet in his life...except that one time when a cadet had come to summon him to a meeting and Genesis was in the middle of training with his Materia. But it was an accident and Genesis immediately put it out and took the cadet to the infirmary. The only reason he needed to be summoned that way was because he had melted his phone. But that was how the rumors started and Genesis hadn't been able to live it down since.

"Fine, fine, I'll let the little grunt off with a warning. As for Zack, well, it depends if this room was his only target. After all, We know when the pup gets into trouble it often creates a domino effect." Genesis snorted when he heard of Sephiroth's newest discovery. "You've got to give him points for creativity."

Sephiroth shot a cold glare aimed at Genesis before he pressed his fingers to his temples and gave a quiet sigh. His favorite pen was now glued to his desk, and it would take a lot of work to get it freed without ruining either the pen or the desk. He liked this desk too.

Before another thought could cross his mind -primarily how to neuter a certain puppy with Masamune- he looked up at Genesis and Angeal with a snort. "Find him and find out what _else_ he's done, and stop him before he can do anything else." The General ordered.

Angeal could only groan at the thought and rub his neck, looking at Sephiroth sympathetically. "Sorry Seph. We'll make sure he hasn't caused any other trouble and bring him here ASAP." He shot Genesis a look before walking out of the General's office. He had a feeling they were too late and the teen had struck somewhere else already; and he didn't dare think of what else the 2nd Class could have done during the hour they were in the meeting.

Especially when he'd stole away into Sephiroth's office, took back his slingshot and glued his pen down. Oh Goddess his puppy was so dead...

Genesis did a mock bow before following Angeal out of the office. He had to admit, Zack was one clever SOLDIER. He was thinking of pranks that Genesis could only dream of, and he seemed to know the best ways to get under the General's skin. True, Genesis knew a few tricks of his own, but Zack just had that gift of going the extra mile. If it weren't for Genesis's reputation he'd probably team up with the pup for a few good pranks on Sephiroth.

Chancing a glance at his best friend, however, Genesis knew it wouldn't be fair to Angeal. The poor man was stressed out enough already. "So, where do you think we should begin our search?" He asked Angeal.

Leaving Sephiroth to try and free his pen, Angeal hit the button for the elevator with a grumble. "With Zack? I have no clue. But I have a feeling we need to check our apartments to make sure they're in one piece, because if Zack came to Sephiroth's office, I guarantee you he went to the 1sts apartment floor."

He huffed and rubbed his face as he stepped onto the elevators and pushed the button for their apartment level. Granted, the 1sts kept their apartments locked, somehow he doubted that would deter the teen for even a second.

"What did I do in a pass life to deserve this?" He muttered wryly, glancing at Genesis with a weak grin. "I swear Zack's trying to get himself killed sometimes just to torture me." He chuckled dryly and shook his head.

TBC


	4. All In a Day's Work

Disclaimer: Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- and it's characters (c) Square Enix. Me no own. Just playing with the characters here. ;) Half of this story was done by Shade the Hero. Thanks!

Shade: Hey guys! It's time for another chapter and boy is it a doozy! I hope you guys are enjoying it so far, because it's going to get a whole lot crazier. Thank you everyone for your wonderful reviews, favs and follows. We encourage you to keep them coming as this story unfolds. Enjoy!

Bahamut: Hey everyone! Shade's got it right, this chapter is a doozy and things will just keep getting crazier from here on out! ;) We both appreciate the support and hope you'll continue to enjoy the story! So without further ado, here is chapter four! Better have your seat belts ready for this ride!

* * *

**All In a Day's Work**

Cloud blinked a few times as the full weight of what they had just done set in and the realization became obvious as the smiled appeared. It still wasn't anywhere close to Zack's definition of a smile, but it was big in the blonde's book. The laugh however, was something Cloud couldn't control as Zack ruffled his hair for the twentieth time tonight? B'ah, he'd lost count, but it didn't matter.

He accepted Zack's hand as he helped the cadet get back on his feet. "Guess that proves that there's more to me than meets the eye." Wait, did he just say that? Normally he thought things out in his head before uttering them out loud. It seemed Zack was having an influence on him.

He stopped short when Zack mentioned he had a cute face and fought back the slight blush. It was bad enough that his mother kept calling him cute, but to hear it from another source didn't help. "I haven't been cute since I was six." Though, saying that made him blush even more.

Eyes flashing with amusement, Zack beamed at the teen. "Apparently! Now I just gotta find out what else you're hiding behind those blonde locks of yours, Spiky!" He laughed and gave a playful smack on the cadet's back. Cloud was full of surprises and Zack was going to make it his personal mission to uncover them all!

When Cloud mentioned he hadn't been cute since he was six though, the 2nd Class busted out into full blown laughter. The look on his face when he said that was priceless and _oh so cute_. "Little dude, you're as cute as they come around here!"

Still sniggering, the teen grabbed the bucket of water and grinned. "Come on! We still gotta drop this stuff off in the labs!" He laughed and mussed Cloud's hair before he began walking back to the building.

Cloud smirked as Zack declared he wanted to know all of his secrets. And he'd be willing to share them over time, however what he didn't say was that it worked both ways. The blonde intended to find out more about the Second Class as well.

Picking up the bag of fertilizer he hurried to catch up with the ravenette who was already heading back towards the main building. "Hey, wait up. This isn't exactly as light as a bag of feathers you know!"

"You wanted to carry the heavy stuff!" Zack replied in a sing-song over his shoulder, grinning back at the cadet with a mischievous look on his face. Looking ahead of himself, the teen went into the main building and took the steps up to the elevators. He pointedly ignored the looks the two were receiving on the elevator up to the floor above the labs. "So Cloud, after this I'm thinking it'll be safe if we head into Midgar and grab something to eat until after Shinra collapses." He joked, though he kind of did mean that.

He could only imagine how things were going to turn out, but he simply could not have resisted the call to do such things. It was just not possible for the 2nd Class to ignore the need to prank.

Okay, Cloud had to admit that was true. Dang him and his stubborn pride. He was too busy coming to a realization to notice the odd looks that people were giving him. Ever since he had arrived in Midgar he wondered why he didn't feel right. Why something had always seemed off. It was because becoming a cadet and trying for SOLDIER had silenced his pride. He had been forced to do such grueling tasks and exercises and was treated like dirt just like every other cadet that he had suppressed that part of him. But, Zack was slowly bringing it back to the light. He kept being reminded of how he felt in Nibelheim and his snarky smart-alack personality still thrived under that shy exterior.

Once inside the elevator, Cloud's stomach growled in response to Zack's question. He had forgotten that he hadn't eaten yet since lunch. Or, was it breakfast? He couldn't remember. "Collapses?" He didn't know what Zack meant by that, but then thought back to what they had been doing over the past hour and all he had to do was remember standing in Sephiroth's office to realize they were probably in deep trouble. Well, if this was his last night then he should at least get a good meal before his execution.

"Only if you're buying."

The SOLDIER 2nd Class grinned a bit at the teen and nodded. "You've done a good job today, cadet! Consider it a reward for such hard work." He laughed while walking off the elevator and walking down the hallway toward the ventilation shaft he had memorized.

Now they were finally getting to the good stuff. Sitting the bucket of water he'd been carrying down, he took out a screwdriver and began unscrewing the screws holding the vent's lid on. "Alright, this vent goes straight down into Hojo's lab, and if my informant is right -and Reno knows better than to feed me bad info- then Hojo's current experiment is directly under the vent."

The teen grinned deviously at Cloud once all the screws were out and he took the cover off. "Open that bag of fertilizer, cadet!"

Cloud adjusted the fertilizer on his shoulder a little better and stood a bit straighter at the praise and followed Zack into the hall. He watched him work at getting the screws out of the grate that blocked off the ventilation shaft. "Yes sir!" He set the bag down and ripped it open slowly as to not spill any of the contents on himself or Zack. "Now what?"

Zack nodded and patted Cloud's shoulder. "This I'll do myself, no offense. Next time and you got Mako in your system you can do it." He winked at the teen before taking the bag, and with ease of Mako enhanced strength dumped the contents of the fertilizer bag right down the ventilation shaft.

And straight into whatever project Hojo had been working on. Grinning as he emptied every last bit of fertilizer down the vent and hearing it go all the way down, the teen crumpled the bag and handed it back to Cloud before he took up the bucket of water.

And down the water went into the ventilation shaft with the fertilizer, cleaning the vent on it's way down and pouring atop it at the bottom. "Done!"

**xoxo**

The professor's aid flinched as Hojo passed him and went back to his desk. The head of the Science Department had just finished a long and highly detailed monologue of how concomitant his staff was, how he hated that everyone in this building had the combined IQ of a cockroach compared to his brilliance and all around belittling the man.

"Now, for the last time, go get me those viles and make sure they're the correct size this time," Hojo ordered the man as his glasses gleamed white in the eerie light of the lab.

"Yes sir," The assistant sighed as he turned to try again. His head suddenly shot up as he heard a thundering sound from overhead. The next sound he heard was a squishy plopping splatter sound and a gasp of shock. The man turned and saw Hojo covered with...with...mud? No. The assistant took a sniff and chose instead to breathe though his mouth to combat the stench.

Hojo was covered in fertilizer and for once he seemed to have been rendered speechless. The assistant heard another thundering sound and watched as a torrent of water poured from the ceiling and hit Hojo full force. It wiped off some of the fertilizer, but it also turned it to an even sloshier substance that totally ruined everything on the professor's desk. His newest formula was ruined.

The assistant backed away slowly, not wanting to be the outlet for Hojo's wrath.

**xoxo**

From where Cloud stood by the vent he couldn't help but jump when he head the screeching voice vibrate up through the vents.

"I DEMAND TO KNOW WHOSE RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS!"

"Are you sure that was a good idea?" He asked Zack.

Zack clamped a hand over his mouth as he burst into laughter. He could only imagine how Hojo looked or what he ruined, but it was an image of pure gold. "D-Don't...hahaha! Worry!"

Grabbing Cloud's arm and the empty bucket, he took off running back toward the elevators; laughing the entire way back. When they were on the elevator and alone, Zack went into another fit of laughter. "Sephiroth will...hehe...get a real kick out of this! We'll be fine!" He grinned and wiped tears out of his eyes as the elevator descended back down to the lobby.

That had so been worth waiting for.

Cloud couldn't hide his surprise at what his friend had just said. "The General? Why would he be happy about that? Won't he be angry about what you did to his desk?" He had told himself he wasn't going to question Zack anymore, but the idea that the General would get enjoyment out of a scientist's suffering confused him. Was Hojo really so bad that even the mighty Sephiroth couldn't stand him?

The teen looked at Cloud, almost flabbergasted that he didn't know how Sephiroth felt for the scientist. But then he reminded himself Cloud was still a new cadet.

Walking off the elevator with bucket in hand, Zack wrapped an arm around Cloud's shoulders with a laugh. "Well my fine, fluffy haired friend, you got a lot to learn still. Sephiroth can't stand Hojo. No one can stand him, but Sephiroth hates him. So anything that ruins Hojo's day usually puts Seph in a good mood."

He winked at Cloud and sniggered. "I think we'll be safe after we get back from whatever wrath we might have suffered, maybe. Hence why I saved the best for last." He laughed and sat the bucket down outside the Shinra building, leaving it for some poor SOLDIER to put away before he took Cloud toward Midgar where a good diner was.

Hearing this both surprised Cloud and helped put his worries at ease. Pranking Hojo wasn't just more fun for the SOLDIER. It also served as damage control. They'd still probably get in trouble and Cloud would be forced to scrub toilets for a month if he was lucky, but he had never done anything like this before and now that the danger of being caught had passed he had to admit it actually felt pretty good to get into trouble for once. It wasn't really anything bad. Just some harmless fun.

As they headed towards the city Cloud's stomach decided to reply for him, announcing how hungry he was which made the blonde blush with embarrassment.

With his Mako enhanced hearing, Zack easily heard the noise coming from Cloud's stomach and he couldn't help but laugh at the blush that followed it. "You're like the cutest chocobo in town!" He grinned and ruffled the teen's hair. The city was busy all day long, even now when evening was getting close. But the diner he liked wasn't far and usually wasn't packed around this time. "So, not so bad tagging along with me for the weekend, right?" He winked at Cloud and smiled mischievously.

Cloud couldn't help but roll his eyes at his friend's comment. He was probably the only chocobo in town. Cloud doubted if the poor birds could even survive in this city atmosphere. They preferred wide open spaces and clear blue skies. Something Cloud could relate to, but there was no way to join SOLDIER out in the country, so he had to suck it up and deal with it.

He couldn't help but offer a smirk at Zack. "It takes some getting used to. Not every SOLDIER is willing to go to such lengths like you are."

Zack beamed at what he thought to be a compliment. "Well stick with me Spiky and you'll be one of the leanest, toughest, best chocobos Shinra's ever had!" He laughed and patted Cloud's back while he walked into the diner and immediately claimed a seat, grinning up at the cadet.

"But seriously, you held up like a champ today! I'm impressed! I didn't think you had it in you to do some of this stuff. Especially that thing with the other cadets earlier, you even had me going!" He laughed at the memory of Cloud ordering him and the look on the cadet's face when he did.

It had been absolutely priceless.

**xoxo**

Any humor that Genesis had towards the situation vanished at the thought of the puppy sneaking into his apartment. "If he's put food coloring in my drinks again..." He threatened in a low tone.

That had been the worst insult to the fiery Commander's pride. Back then, Third Class Zack Fair and rookie Pupil to his childhood friend Angeal had come over for a sort of meet and greet in Genesis's apartment. He guessed Angeal figured he wouldn't want to damage anything in his apartment with fire, so he thought it'd be a good idea. What he didn't take into account was that the young SOLDIER Third was a skilled prankster. Dropping blue food coloring into his collection of drinks, his chocolate syrup bottle and even his mouth wash. It went unnoticed for the most part. Until the next day when Genesis showed up for a meeting. He couldn't for the life of him figure out what was so funny. Seconds, Thirds, Cadets, even a few Turks cracked a grin at him as he walked by. What took the cake was hearing actual, uncontrolled laughter coming from Sephiroth. Then he knew something was wrong.

Angeal had managed to pull his hand out of a facepalm long enough to give Genesis a mirror and he almost squealed when he saw that his teeth were a deep, eye-popping blue.

He let out a sigh in order to calm himself. He was certain Zack wouldn't try anything so stupid again. Not after Genesis had all but roasted the teen alive. Though, he wondered if Zack still carried a mark where the flat of his blade had slapped him. Turning to Angeal he shook his head with understanding.

"Perhaps it's a message, warning that you should not have taken on a pupil." He wanted to console his friend, but he was worried now for his own apartment. There really was no telling with Zack.

Angeal chuckled weakly, knowing exactly what Genesis was referring to. That had been...hilarious, to be blunt about it. Even Sephiroth couldn't stop from laughing at the sight of Genesis's blue mouth. "He's a good boy, I swear. Just...he needs supervision at all times, is all." He rubbed the back of his neck and smiled wearily at his friend. "Let's go check your apartment first. Two sets of eyes looking for traps is better than one set."

And the Commander knew Genesis might take off and try to roast his poor puppy again if he didn't get ahold of him first.

Had Genesis been drinking anything at that moment he would have spit it out. "A good boy? He's what, seventeen? He should know better by now. A child needs supervision. Not a Second Class SOLDIER. He needs to respect the chain of command and stop counting on you to bail him out."

Of course Genesis was completely avoiding any mention of all the times he had disobeyed Sephiroth. They were little things, but still.

Genesis was forever grateful for his friend's understanding. He'd probably be too worried for his own apartment to properly inspect Angeal's but once he saw his first he'd be able to focus more clearly. Unless of course Zack had set foot into his home and then he vowed to fry him into a Zack-ca-bob.

When the elevator dinged and the doors opened Genesis marched out and pulled out his keys. He tested the door first and was feeling optimistic when he found it was still locked. He wanted to take that as a good sign. But with Zack one could never tell.

Genesis unlocked the door and opened it, but he closed his eyes instead and stepped to the side, indicating that his friend should look first. "How bad is it?"

Angeal snorted at Genesis. "He's a 2nd Class SOLDIER with the mentality of a child when unsupervised. Just like you were when you were a teenager. Hell, you still haven't grown up and you're what, twenty-five?" The raven haired Commander smirked at Genesis, knowing his friend hated having his real age mentioned aloud.

"And you're the last person to talk about 'respecting the chain of command', so don't even try to pull that card out because you never had it to begin with." He said wryly, rolling his eyes.

Stepping into his friend's apartment, Angeal chuckled weakly at Genesis's dramatic act of not even looking first. Looking around the apartment, Angeal's deep ocean blue eyes didn't spot any outwardly signs of damage. "Well, everything's in tact it seems..."

Trailing off though, he stopped himself when he seen Genesis's bookshelves where he kept all his copies of Loveless. It was always a dominant presence in the 1st's home, and something was immediately off.

What was off, however, made Angeal pinch the bridge of his nose while attempting to not laugh. "Okay, Gen, I want you to sit down and take a deep breath for me. He may or may not have touched your Loveless collection." He winced at his own words and opened a single eye to peer at his friend warily.

"Well, thanks for the confidence and having a lot of faith in me," Genesis replied while glaring at Angeal for blurting out his age. He'd pay him back for that...and his little pup too.

He mentally facepalmed. The one night he got drunk as a Cadet and he was forever haunted by acting like the evil witch from Oz. There was only one thing he wanted to do, and that was grab a book off his shelf and recite the hell out of it. Nothing could relax him more than Lovele...

He looked Angeal in the eyes. "What did you just say?"

Angeal smiled warily and gripped Genesis's shoulders to steady him. "Gen, we're best friends, and as best friends I have your word you won't try and fry my student, right?" He patted Genesis's back before covering his face with one hand and pointing to Genesis's bookshelves with the other.

He was mentally preparing himself for the explosion that was about to erupt. He was a SOLDIER 1st Class, he'd take it like a man.

But Goddess he was worried for his ears for the possible screech that would surely follow.

The Fiery First Class slowly made his way over to his book shelf. He didn't bother promising Angeal anything, not knowing if he'd be able to keep it. He tried not to think about what might have happened to his beloved collection. He hoped they hadn't been defaced or defiled. Were they out of order? Aside from his fifty seven normal copies he had twenty three first editions, fourteen limited editions, and two that were encased in gold-plated hardback covers. If there had been so much as a single pen mark in those two then Angeal's puppy problems would be no more. Genesis would make sure of that.

With a slightly shaky hand he reached out and pulled the first book off the shelf. It was thinner than Loveless. Oh sweet Goddess Zack had torn out any pages, then Gaia help him. Genesis would scatter his charred bones all across the planet.

When he opened his eyes he blinked in stunned silence at the book's title. 'Husky puppy and the very rainy day'. He blinked and pulled another book off the shelf. 'The Chocobo and the Hound'. He pulled another off the shelf. 'Puppy wuv's you'. Genesis's eye twitched at that title. He took a step back and glanced at his bookshelves as a whole. Scanning the titles he realized that none of them read 'Loveless'. Instead they were all about dogs and chocobos.

It suddenly hit him then as he started ripping books off the shelves and tossing them behind him, not caring where they landed. Some even flew in Angeal's direction.

"WHERE IS LOVELESS?!" He bellowed as he looked around the room. Except for the scattered books his collection was no where in sight. He disappeared into his bedroom next, hoping they'd be in there. Either way, he swore Zack would be joining the life stream tonight.

Angeal skillfully dodged the books that went flying at him and he grunted at the sound of Genesis yelling. He rubbed his ears. Sometimes it was a downside to having Mako enhanced hearing, especially when he was around Genesis so much. The man didn't know the meaning of 'peace and quiet'.

"Gen, it's not that bad I'm sure! Wherever they are I'm sure Zack left them in perfect condition!" Angeal said quickly, doing everything he could to calm his childhood best friend. Honestly, what had Zack been thinking? Angeal shook his head.

His student hadn't been thinking a damn thing.

"Not that bad?!" Genesis stormed out of his room and slammed his bedroom door. The sound echoed out into the halls through the front door that was still open. "Not that bad?" He repeated as he stomped up to his friend.

"He has committed several crimes Angeal! Breaking and entering, theft! Defacing private property! Disobeying a superior officer! I could go on, but you get my point!" He looked towards the door and then back at Angeal, wondering if he'd be quick enough to get past his friend.

"And he's going to pay." He headed for the door, determined to hunt Zack down.

Angeal huffed and sidestepped in front of Genesis, using his sheer size to block the door and Genesis's only means of escape. With his arms crossed over his broad chest, he looked at Genesis pointedly. "Now, if this was me, you'd be rolling around on the floor laughing and telling me 'Don't be so hard on him 'Geal, it's just a joke'."

Rolling his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose, Angeal took a deep breath before letting out a huff. "You're just angry because he touched your precious Loveless collection. If it were anyone else, you'd be laughing and patting him on the back." He grumbled and looked at his best friend.

Really, Genesis was a bit too obsessed with Loveless sometimes.

"Not true!" Genesis quickly countered. "I...wouldn't be rolling on the floor." Damn he hated it when Angeal was right. If this had been his or Sephiroth's room (especially Sephiroth's) he would have found it funny, though it probably wouldn't have involved books.

His hands clenched and unclenched. He wanted to pull out his Fire Materia and blast something he was so mad. Maybe he'd set all of these garbage books aflame later after he dealt with a certain Second Class SOLDIER.

He placed his hands on his hips and gave his friend a disapproving look. "So what? You're just going to let him get away with this? Tell me Angeal, what if he had done something with your precious Buster Sword? Would you not swear to hunt him down and make him pay?"

He then put on a look of pure sympathy. "And what about poor Sephiroth? Those desks aren't very cheap and you know how hard it was for him to finally decide on one he liked." Inwardly, Genesis found that prank to be funny. Sephiroth really was a neat freak. Sure, Genesis liked to keep things tidy and in their rightful place too, but Sephiroth took it to a whole new level.

Angeal huffed and threw his hands up. "You're as bad as Zack, so long as he doesn't touch your stuff!" He grunted and looked at his friend with a wry smile then. "I won't let him get away with it, he does need some kind of punishment, and I'll make sure he gets it." Crossing his arms again, he smirked then at Genesis. "But I'd never have to worry about Zack even thinking about doing something to the Buster Sword. Unlike you, he has restraint. And honor." He said with confidence.

And he knew that was true. Zack knew what the sword meant to Angeal and always respected it.

Shaking his head, Angeal poked Genesis's chest before he turned to open the door. "As for Sephiroth, you know he makes more money than both of us combined. And you'd have done the same thing if you'd thought of it first, so don't even bother with that argument anyway." He rolled his eyes at his friend.

Genesis huffed as Angeal talked about how Zack knew better than to mess with his sword. "He should quickly learn to hold my collection in the same regard. If I agree to let you handle his punishment I want it made clear that Loveless is forever off limits. Should he so much as touch them again without permission he had better run very far and very fast."

As Angeal made his way out of the apartment Genesis let out his frustration with a sigh before holding up his hands and following. "Well, of course! You know if I don't force him to get new appliances every other month he's never going to use his money and end up old and rich. He's got to spend some of it now and then. It's unhealthy to keep it all to himself."

He threw a lazy arm over his friend's shoulder next as they made their way down the hall. "Alright, let's check your place next. If he respects you so much as you say, then I want proof."

"Your Loveless collection is hardly in the same regard as the Buster Sword, Genesis." Rolling his eyes at his friend, Angeal walked up to his apartment and unlocked the door. Stepping inside, there was no proof the teen had messed with anything. "And telling him not to touch something only inspires him to actually touch it." He laughed quietly, Genesis really did need to lighten up about Loveless.

At least Zack was trying, as futile as that may have been.

Looking around the apartment, checking every place he thought the teen might think of touching or messing with, Angeal was satisfied to not see anything out of place. "I told you, he's a good pup." He smirked a bit at Genesis.

Zack would never do something so severe like mess with his Buster Sword, the teen idolized Angeal too much. Genesis's Loveless collection fell very short of earning that same respect, however.

Genesis helped his friend scan the apartment. He was a little disappointed to be proven wrong. He had to admit the pup did have some sense, but still. "You misunderstand me, my friend. I meant that your sword is something precious to you, just as my collection is precious to me. I was not comparing their worth to each other. You've been listening to Sephiroth too much when he goes on and on about Masamune."

Seeing that everything appeared to be in order he leaned against the wall and folded his arms in thought. "So, where else do you think he may have struck?"

Angeal snorted quietly. "Well while I only have one Buster Sword you have more than enough Loveless books that you hardly need so many Gen. I think Zack's trying to do you a favor with taking them away for awhile." He chuckled.

Looking around the apartment once more and satisfied his pup had been good about not messing with his things, he raked a hand through his hair with a shrug of his broad shoulders. "Honestly, no one knows what Zack is thinking except Zack." He blinked slowly as a thought occurred then swore and turned to leave. "Correction, there's one person that will know. Reno." He growled the name.

He'd told his student a thousand times not to associate with that Turk, but it never failed they ended up plotting something together. "If anyone knows where he might have struck next, he'll know." He huffed and left his apartment in search of the redheaded Turk.

TBC


	5. Promises Made - Loyalties Tested

Disclaimer: Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- and it's characters (c) Square Enix. Me no own. Just playing with the characters here. ;) Half of this story was done by Shade the Hero. Thanks!

Shade: It's time for another chapter and for those of you who don't want this story to end anytime soon, fear not. There are still a good number of chapters left before this tale wraps up and there's also plans for a sequel in the works. Enjoy! :)

Bahamut: Shade's not even kidding! There's over twenty chapters so far and we're still not done with this beast! So no need to worry about the end yet, guys! Just sit back and enjoy the ride, starting with this new chapter! :D

* * *

**Promises Made - Loyalties Tested**

Cloud sat down on the other side of the booth and tried not to show how surprised he was about his earlier actions. "Maybe I'm just tired of feeling like the weakest member of the group. Maybe I have my own dreams and my own promises to keep."

And just like that an image of Tifa flashed in his mind. That night when they were on the water tower gazing up at the stars. Well, Tifa was gazing, Cloud was trying not sound like a total idiot in front of her. The mayor's daughter. The one the man had warned him to stay away from after the accident. He had tried to catch her. Tried to stop her from falling and remembered how terrified she looked as they both plummeted towards the...

"Water?"

"It wasn't my fault!"

Cloud blinked in pure shock and embarrassment as he looked up at the startled waitress who had approached them to give them their menus and see what drinks they wanted. "I-I'm sorry," He lamely uttered as he looked away. He knew his face was red and he probably looked like a total idiot, and he felt even worse by embarrassing Zack. Well, he didn't know if that was how he felt, but he wouldn't be surprised.

Zack grinned a bit at Cloud when he mentioned having his own dreams and promises, and he secretly vowed to find out what said dreams and promises were. But when Cloud suddenly said something so random and startled the waitress, Zack was a bit startled himself because it just wasn't normal. From the blush that immediately took over the teen's face, Zack could tell he hadn't meant that to be aloud in the least.

Glancing at the waitress, Zack leaned back and crossed his arms while turning his Mako glowing eyes back on the cadet. "I know it wasn't your fault, like I said before coming in here you're not in trouble, Strife." Zack played along with a reassuring smile.

Looking at the waitress, the 2nd Class flashed her a bright smile. "He's just a little nervous, got caught in the 2nd Class training gym." He looked at Cloud again and reached over, ruffling his hair. "You wouldn't believe some of the places I ended up lost in after I first became a cadet. You don't have to be sorry about getting lost." He smiled and winked then looked at the waitress with a winning smile. "A couple glasses of water, thanks." He said casually, taking the menus from her.

He didn't miss the giggle and blush she had as he smiled at her, she always did like the teen when he came in so it wasn't hard to get her attention off Cloud and onto himself.

Cloud was more than a little surprised when Zack merely covered for him as his hair was once again messed with. He was starting to wonder if this was a how a pet felt. As the waitress headed back towards the kitchen to get the drinks Cloud looked over at Zack and then decided that the table would be easier to speak to.

"Sorry about that. I...don't normally get flashbacks like that." At least he hadn't before coming to Midgar. Was it really possible that he missed his hometown? Well, at least a few people in it were worth missing. Tifa for one, and his mother...and Tifa. Why was he thinking about her so much all of a sudden?

"That's twice you've done something for me, why?" He had meant to ask later once they were settled for the night, but he just couldn't ignore it anymore. "Why would you even take interest in someone like me?" He waited a moment before offering the smallest of smirks, "And please, don't say it's because of the hair."

"Awe but that was my best excuse to taking an interest in you!" Zack complained before grinning a bit and shrugging. "I don't know. Something about you when I first seen you with the other cadets. I guess you can say I kind of have a thing for underdogs." He offered a sincere smile because he didn't mean it as an insult to Cloud, but surely even Cloud knew he wasn't exactly an alpha among the cadets.

Waving his hand the teen aimed a disarming smile at the blonde cadet. "And anyway, that and the thing with the other cadets? That's nothing, don't mention it. I like helping my friends out, it's what friends do right?" He leaned back, arms crossing again. "But you do owe me a little explanation about that little outburst." He said, his eyes conveying concern for the younger teen.

Underdog...yeah, that was Cloud in a nutshell alright. Did that mean that Zack had pitied him? Or was it something else? Was it possible that there was something he saw in the cadet? Cloud wasn't sure, so he decided he'd let time reveal the reason and tried to just enjoy his weekend. Plus it was easy to tell Zack didn't mean it in a bad way by the motion of waving his hand and smiling. Besides, he couldn't really pity him after tonight, right? Not after all they had done. Zack sure hadn't given him any looks related to pity or that he felt sorry for him.

"An explanation?" He guess he did. After all, it had been out of the blue and if Zack could so easily take orders from a cadet just to make a couple of cadets think twice then he could at least open up a little. "Back home, I pretty much get the same treatment as I do here. I'm sort of the outcast of the town." Oh that sounded horrible and the last thing he wanted was more pity.

"Not that it really bothers me. To be honest, I liked being left alone most of the time. The other kids were kinda..." Now what was a good word to use for those brats? "...stupid." Perfect.

"You know there's a reactor in the mountains behind Nibelheim, right? But to get there you have to cross an old bridge. The kids would often dare each other to see if anyone had the guts to cross it." He couldn't help but shake his head at their stupidity even now, years later. Even a two-day old chocobo chick would know that wasn't safe.

"There was this girl, Tifa. She's the mayor's daughter. She invited me to go with her, with them, but I refused. The others and I didn't get along and no one thought me tagging along was a good idea anyway. But, I still followed. I don't know why I did, but I did. When I got there, Tifa was almost half way across it. Then the wind kicked up and she got scared and froze. The others told her to come back, but she couldn't move. The wind was always strong on that side of the mountain. The rope holding the bridge started to snap and the others ran to get help."

Cloud shook his head. They never would have made it in time. Tifa only had seconds to a minute at most. "There was no one left, so I...I came out of hiding and tried to coax her back. She started to move, but then the bridge started to fall." He gulped as he stared at the table as his eyes saw that day play itself over again in his mind.

"I reached out to grab her, but we both ended up falling into the rapids below. The look she gave me as we were falling was something I never want to see again. We hit the water and I held her hand as long as I could before rocks started knocking us around. I went under and when I made it to shore I saw her lying a little ways away. There was a gash on her forehead and I was cut up pretty good too."

Cloud's fists clenched. "The villagers finally came and they blamed me. One of the other kids said that I had been the one who dared her to cross the bridge." He blinked sadly and wondered if a small part of him did believe that it was his fault. He wasn't the one who dared her, but he wasn't able to save her then either. "Tifa was okay, she was out for a week, but I was forbidden from ever going near her again."

It was a strange feeling to finally be able to talk about this with someone else. Especially when they hadn't known about the incident already like the entire town of Nibelheim had. No one but his mother believed his side of the story so it was strange to not be judged by it for once.

He looked up at Zack then and leaned back in his seat. "I know, pathetic, right?"

Zack sat quietly and listened to Cloud talk about his past. He hated knowing the kid had gone through so much and still seemed to be blaming himself even now. He could tell Cloud wasn't used to talking about it, and more used to people probably judging him based on it. But Zack believed Cloud hadn't dared Tifa and had done everything he could to save her. He could just tell by the passion in the teen's voice and the look in his eyes.

After thinking over his response he finally offered a smile and shook his head. "You know what I think? I think when you make 1st Class, you and I need to take a trip to Nibelheim and show those kids the man you became, because I bet none of them would have it in them to come all the way from Nibelheim, join SOLDIER and make it. But I think you do Cloud."

Yeah, Zack thought that'd be a good idea. And he'd do what he could to make sure the teen made it to 1st Class.

Cloud's eyes shot up to look at Zack. Had he just heard him right? No. Sure, Zack had proven to be the best friend Cloud had never had, but would he really be willing to do that? He also knew Zack to be a fan of jokes and if there was one thing that he couldn't stand to mess with, it was his dream.

"Zack, please, I need you to be honest. No jokes, no tricks, no saying it just to cheer me up. I need a completely honest answer. Do you really believe I'll make SOLDIER?" He didn't dare say First Class. Knowing only the best of the best could hold that title and considering that would make him on the same level as Sephiroth made Cloud want to laugh at the thought if he wasn't expecting a serious answer from his friend.

Zack's face went serious, a rare thing to see on the normally cheerful teen. "I'm not joking, Cloud. I meant what I said. And I do think you've got what it takes. Do you know only about half of all cadets actually make it into SOLDIER? Those guys that pick on you, they'll probably wind up with the Infantrymen, because that's where guys like them always end up."

He offered a slight and very sincere smile at Cloud. "I'll make sure you make it into SOLDIER, even if I have to use my free time to train you myself." He said, eyes flashing with very real determination.

The waitress apparently sensed that whatever the two were talking about it meant she should keep to her own business, and just sat their drinks down and left until they were ready to order.

Zack leaned back with a smile and grabbed his menu to look through it. "I mean it Cloud. There's just something about you that I think will get you through SOLDIER." He looked over at Cloud again, winking. "And it won't hurt to have backup like me to make sure anyway."

He knew he didn't know everything about Cloud, had only met him that week. But he was taken by the cadet and immediately attached a friendship to him. He had a gut feeling that said it'd be worth it for both of them, and Angeal had always told him to follow those feelings when he had them.

**xoxo**

Genesis snubbed his nose in the air. "I don't need some happy-go-lucky pup telling me what I should or should not read. Besides, every one of those copies is different. If not by rarity then by memory."

He hated being considered sentimental, but it was true when it came to his books. He had acquired them from his travels. Whenever he spotted one while on a mission he'd get it and take it back. Now he had no copies left to speak of. The red one he usually carried had a new owner in Wutai and Genesis had promised he would see her again to make sure she had kept it in perfect condition.

"_Turks_," Genesis spat out the word as if it were something gross stuck on his tongue. "They have no sense of loyalty and no care for their fellow man. If they received orders to shoot their own mothers they wouldn't even hesitate." When Genesis had first been a recruit for SOLDEIR he had been offered a spot in the Turks. But he turned it down for two reasons. One he didn't like how they operated and two, Angeal had been accepted into SOLDIER and Genesis vowed to always be there to back up his friend.

He followed his friend, closing the locked door behind him as they headed off to the Turk side of the building.

Walking over to the elevators and rolling his eyes at Genesis's comment about the 'different' copies of Loveless he had, Angeal decided to just let that drop for now. No sense in starting an argument when he knew Genesis would never technically lose, if only because he could go on and on about it.

The Commander knew how Genesis felt for Turks, but like Sephiroth had mentioned earlier Tseng isn't such a terrible guy.

Reno on the other hand...

Angeal grumbled and got off the elevator on the Turks floor. Reno was a trouble maker, through and through. He knew Reno was loyal to the Turks but he doubted he had the same loyalty to Zack, so getting information out of him wouldn't be so hard. Especially if Tseng didn't mind them threatening to gut the redhead, which he doubted Tseng would considering the headaches he's more than likely suffered since recruiting Reno.

**xoxo**

The slowly rotating fan blades had become the most fascinating thing in the room. At least it was to a red-headed Turk who was laying flat on his back, on the floor no less as he blinked lazily up at it. It was a Friday night for Shiva's sake. He was supposed to be off work by now and getting wasted in the nearest bar. Not stuck in his small office with nothing to do. Tseng said it was important that he be kept ready should he be needed but Reno knew the real reason. In fact, it made him smile.

Last Friday night he had dragged Rude with him to a tavern in the Slums and pretty much forgot the rest. Well, not really forgotten, more like lost behind a fog caused by a massive hangover. It was like he was living to the lyrics of a Katy Perry song. He couldn't help the snicker that came when he thought of the lyrics and pictured himself doing them.

As far as Reno was concerned Tseng could go climb a tree. He wasn't about to spend a Friday night doing paperwork. He'd rather just take a nap right here.

Stepping into Reno's office, Tseng wasn't surprised in the least to find his best Turk laying on the floor doing absolutely nothing. "I hope you're not planning on taking a nap. You need to fill out these reports." He sat a stack of papers on Reno's desk, a slight smirk tugging at the corners of his lips.

This was his punishment for getting Rude and himself so drunk last Friday. And since Tseng himself was free for the remainder of the night -all his work actually having been done instead of ignored like Reno's- Tseng was going to make sure Reno actually worked.

Leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, he looked down at the redhead. "Of course, if you want to just lay on your back I can take advantage of that just as well." He said, eyes roving over the teen's body. That usually got the redheaded Turk up and working, which was both disappointing and amusing for Tseng.

Reno glared at his superior from where he lay. Among his many skills did he read minds too? His face flushed red with irritation and embarrassment as he scrambled to his feet. "You're sick, you know that?!" He grumbled as he glared down at the even bigger stack of paperwork. But Turk rules stated that you did what you were told and while paperwork was boring as hell is wasn't the worst thing Reno could be doing right now.

With an exasperated sigh he walked around to he desk and plopped into his squeaky chair. With a little smirk he made it squeak a bit more, remembering how much Tseng hated the sound. Serves him right for not ordering a nicer, softer one like Reno wanted.

**xoxo**

Genesis gazed around the offices as they passed them by. Most of them belonged to Turks, but over half of them were either out on missions, doing other dirty, underhanded Turk deeds or dead. The last one was unlikely since it was very very hard to kill a Turk. Genesis has tried once, though in his defense the Turk was undercover and never clued him in until Rapier nearly decapitated the man and he had saved himself by pulling out, not a gun, but a Shinra Turk ID badge. Genesis remembered having to pull out his phone and go through twelve different people including Sephiroth to make sure this guy wasn't just trying to pull one over on him all while holding the glowing red sword an inch from the man's throat. Part of him was disappointed when the man's ID was confirmed.

Genesis rolled his eyes as he passed by an office door and shut upon the owner hearing footsteps approaching. So secretive, Genesis observed. Like the slimy weasels that they were. Perhaps he should change the rumor from a hatred of cadets to Turks.

"Why don't I let you do the talking?" He asked Angeal. He didn't want to interact with them anymore then he had to. Despite what Sephiroth thought of Tseng, one good Turk didn't mean they all were. It didn't change his opinion of them either.

Angeal looked at Genesis and nodded. That was better, he supposed. Passing the empty offices, the raven haired 1st Class made his way toward Reno's office.

He did wonder if the Turk was even in, and if not they'd either have to try his apartment or simply run down other possible leads as to where Zack could have struck next, because if Reno wasn't in his office or his apartment, there was no telling where the Turk had wandered off to.

He stopped at the door and grunted. He was tempted to knock, considering Reno was a Turk and wasn't a bad shot -even if he did prefer his rod- but the element of surprise could better Angeal's case in scaring the teen into telling them where Zack would strike next. With that in mind he walked in, eyes immediately scanning the room and he was more than a little relieved to see Tseng there as well.

Tseng merely shrugged at the statement. "I do what I have to in order to get my Turks to actually work." He said simply, looking at Reno with a slight smirk. The head of the Turks suppressed a twitch that tried forming at the corner of his eye with practiced skill when Reno started squeaking his chair. "Keep that up and I'll replace your chair with a block of wood." He said with all the seriousness a Turk was known for.

He glanced up when the door of the office suddenly opened, his hand immediately going to one of his holstered guns. Rude wasn't in and he always knocked before entering anyway, and no one else should be bothering Reno. But when he seen the towering frame of Commander Angeal Hewley he released his grip on his gun and crossed his arms again. "Commander." He nodded, glancing pass him to see Genesis as well.

Both being here couldn't be good news, and the fact they were in Reno's office meant it had to do with Reno. He let out a quiet sigh. "What did Reno do this time?"

Reno stuck up his lower lip in an injured pout and was about to reply to that statement with a retort of his own when his door swung open. Reno's hand already instinctively reached for his gun in his hidden shoulder holster when he blinked in surprise at who his visitor was...make that visitors. He spotted a bit of red behind the massive First Class Commander.

"Well, what can I do for a couple of Firsts like you, yo? Care to join in on the wager?"

Genesis rolled his eyes in annoyance. Reno was known for being obnoxious and annoying. He did say he was going to keep quiet, but that last statement just couldn't be ignored. "What wager?"

"How many pairs of glasses Rude carries on him. I say twelve, Zack says ten and a few others have guesses that are all over the place." Reno couldn't help but snicker at the annoyed look on the red Commander's face. Oh, it was so fun to toy with SOLDIERs. "Toy soldiers..." Reno suddenly burst into a fit of laughter of his own bad pun.

"What?!" Genesis bristled. He turned to Angeal and gave him a look that begged, _"Let me roast him, please!"_

Angeal pinched the bridge of his nose with a sigh. "Genesis, keep your hands off your Materia. For now." He said, looking at Reno and narrowing his eyes a moment before his gaze turned up to meet Tseng's. "We're not here for Reno this time Tseng. It has to do with Zack. He's MIA and pulling pranks today and we thought Reno might know where my student planned on striking next." Hopefully Tseng would help get it out of the redhead.

He'd heard Tseng was one of Shinra's best interrogators, next only to Sephiroth himself, and that Reno had been on the wrong end of a few interrogation tables with Tseng in the beginning, so perhaps he could help get the information without Genesis having to set the building on fire.

Tseng pointedly ignored Reno's comments about the wager and his sudden outburst of laughter in favor of listening to Angeal. So Zack was out pulling pranks. Reno probably did know something because the two often plotted together. Normally he wouldn't get involved with the affairs of SOLDIER, but Zack was a special case because when he went pranking, it didn't stop at SOLDIER. It had extended to the Turks on more than one occasion. The 2nd Class had balls, and skill.

If Angeal hadn't swiped him up first, Tseng probably would have.

Turning his eyes to the redhead in question, Tseng asked, "What do you know?" His face was as unreadable as Sephiroth's for the moment. Making it hard for Reno to tell what he was thinking always unnerved the teen and started that crack Tseng always needed to get what he wanted from him.

Only his training made Reno resist the urge to gulp at the glare that Angeal had shot him. Damn that guy was scary when he wanted to be.

Genesis cast a cold glance back at Reno before turning around and facing the outside of the doorway that he was still standing in. He wanted nothing more to do with these Turks, but the only reason he dared to turn his back on them was because Angeal was directly behind him.

Reno cast a glance at each of the three. While he normally did obey Tseng and many thought he had no true loyalties to anyone outside of the Turks, he and Zack were good chums. They had been cadets together and up until the moment Tseng picked him personally as a Turk he had plans to be Zack's right hand man in SOLDIER. Kinda like how Genesis and Angeal always seemed to be buddy buddy. Reno would have laughed at the image in his head of Zack walking around with the hulking Buster Sword strapped to his back and Reno in Genesis's flowing red trench coat.

The only reason he didn't was because Genesis had turned and glared at him with a look that said,_ "I will burn you with a thousand Materia."_

Reno sighed,_ Sorry Zack._ "He's had this planned ever since earlier this week, yo. Said something about making a chocobo feel at home here and also said he had a few things planned for people who needed to get out more."

"Get out more, eh?" Asked Genesis.

"That's all I know. He asked me somethin' about where Hojo's newest project was, but I didn't think he had clearance to get anywhere near it, Second Class or not, and frankly who in their right mind would want to?"

There. He had just ratted out his friend. He hadn't wanted to, but that's how life was in the Slums. Why should Shinra be any different? He wouldn't have opened up and confessed, but he didn't feel like feeling the wrath of two Firsts and a commanding Turk when all he had to do was tell them and then get his work done. That was less painful in the end.

Angeal was glad Genesis managed to resist, because he may need his friend's Materia at full MP if it meant rescuing his teen from Hojo's clutches. "Goddess what is he thinking?" He said aloud, rubbing his face and turning on his heels to leave. Zack was aiming at Hojo's latest project? "Genesis, we need to get to the labs now." He said, hurrying out of the Turks office without so much as a thanks.

Tseng watched Angeal, knowing the man probably had a million worries just run through him. Even Tseng was a bit surprised Zack thought of going after Hojo's projects, and for what he didn't want to know. He glanced to Reno, and figured the teen felt bad for ratting out Zack.

They were friends, one of the strangest relationships Shinra had ever seen. "I'll want to speak to you privately about this later, Reno." He said, moving from where he leaned against the wall to follow the 1sts out of the office and leave Reno to his devices for the time being. The least he could do was show a little mercy, but he'd still be expecting that paperwork to be done before the weekend was up.

TBC


	6. Dragon Tails & Smelly Labs

Disclaimer: Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- and it's characters (c) Square Enix. Me no own. Just playing with the characters here. ;) Half of this story was done by Shade the Hero. Thanks!

Bahamut: Hey everyone! We're back with another update for you all, and today we bring you a little more humor to lighten the mood after last chapter's overview of Cloud's past with Tifa and the accident, and the jump scare poor Angeal got at the end of the chapter. No puppies or chocobos were harmed in the making of this story. XD Well, not yet anyway. Heh. Enjoy the next installment of Operation: Sleepover! :)

Shade: Hey guys! Bahamut's summed it up pretty well, and believe me when I say we wouldn't dream of harming anything as cute as a puppy or chocobo, though that was that one Spider that met a fiery end at the hands of one arachnophobic Commander, but that's a story for another day. Enjoy the update guys and we'll see you next time! ;)

* * *

**Dragon Tails &amp; Smelly Labs**

Cloud stared wide-eyed at Zack. There were no words that could describe how he felt. Even if he could he didn't trust his mouth to get those words out correctly. He had planned to try, but his first few weeks made him seriously doubt he'd get anywhere near SOLDIER. He wasn't as fast as the other cadets, nor was he strong enough and his endurance was a joke. His aim was okay, but SOLDIERs didn't rely on guns. They used swords and Cloud felt pretty embarrassed when he had trouble with a wooden practice sword.

Zack definitely had his work cut out for him, and Cloud really had no way to express how grateful he was for his help. One thing that wasn't hard to communicate was the sudden joy and hope that flared from deep within him.

For the first time in probably years, Cloud had given a full and genuine smile. Zack wouldn't be rewarded with any tears though. It took a lot to make Cloud Strife cry. Becoming a First Class might do it, but Cloud was a long ways away from that day.

When Zack leaned back and opened his menu Cloud found himself doing the same. It was then that he remembered that Zack was a Second Class. "Okay, but...if I make SOLDIER then...you better make First Class. Don't you dare let me pass you in rank. I don't want to have to give you anymore orders. Because I'm sure they'll be worse than twenty push ups."

Zack beamed when Cloud smiled, a real, full, genuine smile from the cadet since they'd first met. That in itself was worth helping the teen, because he had a feeling Cloud didn't have much to smile for until now.

When Cloud mentioned passing him in rank, his eyes flashed and he laughed. "That won't be happening, cadet. I'll make 1st Class, just you wait and see!" He said with bright eyes and a mile-wide smile. "And when I do, you're gonna be my student whether you like it or not." He winked at the teen before his gaze went over the menu. He had no intentions of not making 1st Class, he'd dreamed of it for years and he felt like he was just a step away from it now.

He couldn't wait for that day, and he wasn't going to wait before taking Cloud on as his student like Angeal had done for Zack.

When he sat his menu down as the waitress made her round back to their table, Zack flashed her a smile and ordered one of their burgers and fries for himself, then looked to see what Cloud wanted. "They got some great burgers here. Freshly cooked behemoth meat, just slaughtered in the back." He laughed at the grossed look that crossed the poor waitress' face at his joke about the meat being behemoth meat.

Cloud nodded as he scanned the menu. "Alright, I promise to give you as much trouble as you give yours." Cloud scrunched up his nose at the thought. He wondered just what kind of diet SOLDIERs had? Did they grow a taste for weird food once Mako came into the mix? Goddess he hoped not.

He scanned the menu again, making sure he knew what was in the food he wanted to order. "I'll take the shrimp platter with mashed potatoes and coleslaw, thanks."

Zack smiled wryly at that promise. He had certainly given Angeal quite a lot of trouble and he didn't doubt Cloud could do the same to him. Karma was going to come flying in his face when he made 1st, he was sure of it. But he would take it because being 1st and becoming a hero was his dream.

When the waitress left to get their orders filled, he shook his head at the blonde. "Are you actually going to eat coleslaw?" He asked, a somewhat disgusted look on his face. He swore it was just something they took from the SOLDIER cafeteria in Shinra.

Shaking his head again at the thought he leaned his head on his hand while staring at the blonde. "I should introduce you to my friends next weekend. There's a couple great guys I know, I bet you'd fit right in with us all." He said, suddenly making plans in his head for the following weekend. "Oh yeah, and Angeal. You gotta meet Angeal. Maybe I can talk him into letting you train with me next week." He winked, grinning mischievously at the cadet.

Cloud arched an eye brow at Zack as he took a sip of his water. "Have you seen the slop they call food in the Cadet mess hall? At least it doesn't have to come from a behemoth. Though, if you think that's good you should try Dragon Tail. There's plenty of dragons lurking in the Nibel mountains and they make pretty good meals if you can hunt one." He took another sip which cut off his sentence for a moment. "Of course that's pretty hard when they can swallow you up in one bite."

He was lying through his teeth, but he wanted to see if his new friend would fall for the old joke that the townspeople would tell travelers when they were asked about how tough they were. The joke was that they made dragons part of their diet.

Zack was gaping at the sound. He'd never actually seen a dragon, Angeal hadn't thought he was ready to fight one yet. But he didn't know they could eat them! "Seriously!" He pumped his fist with excitement. "That sounds awesome! What's it taste like? Is it expensive? Man, I gotta hunt one down and try it! How do they cook them?"

His bright blue eyes seemed to glow brighter with excitement at the thought. He could just imagine the taste of a cooked, roasted, maybe even smoked Dragon Tail dinner. It made his stomach growl loud and his mouth water at the very thought. He was already disappointed with the regular old burger he'd ordered.

Cloud had to fight the urge to spit out his drink and managed to reduce it to a slight choking instead. "You actually bought that?" He wiped his mouth with his napkin and shook his head. "It's just a joke. Everyone from my town says it to travelers who ask us how we deal with the dragons living so close. They're surprised we're still alive and ask why we haven't been eaten yet."

He gave his friend a smug grin. "Eating dragons. Have you seen how big a dragon is?"

Zack pouted, crossing his arms and shaking his head ruefully. "I thought you were serious! I mean it sounds good..." He pouted even more at knowing he'd probably never get to actually taste a dragon's tail. That was really disappointing for the 2nd Class.

He flashed a smile at Cloud though and laughed. "You obviously haven't had any Mako shots yet. I could probably eat a whole behemoth if I wanted to." He snickered and winked at Cloud. "Our appetites go through the roof once we get Mako in our system." That was always a bit of an odd effect it had on SOLDIERs, but most got used to their increased appetites among the few other things that got increased from Mako.

Cloud smirked at that bit of info. "Well, at least my mother won't have to worry about me not eating enough then,"

He felt a little bad about teasing Zack like that so he thought he'd throw him a bone. "I don't know what dragon tastes like. Most of the time we just leave them alone. They keep to their mountains and we don't bother them. But, there's no law that says you can't try to eat a dragon if you want. Even though they keep the Nibel Wolf population under control. Now those monsters, they don't care if you bother them or not. If they can get a chance to eat you they will. So...what other abilities does Mako give you? Strength, sure, but what else?"

The waitress brought them their food and Zack was more than happy to flash her a charming smile while taking his plate and then diving in. He thought over Cloud's question about what Mako does and considered his own experiences and others he knew. "Well," He started after swallowing a few fries. "Aside from strength and an appetite, it quickens our healing and metabolism like crazy. Small cuts are nothing, they heal in minutes, and where you'd probably die to something serious we'd have a higher chance of survival."

Zack took a few bites of his burger while thinking of what else. "We can move faster too. And we can practically see in the dark. You won't find a SOLDIER with bad vision either, it enhances everything. Makes everything clear and crisp. Then there's the enhanced hearing, -that takes forever to get used to by the way."

Leaning back, Zack hummed then grinned at the cadet. "Of course, one of the best perks about Mako is the enhanced libido." He waggled his eyebrows teasingly at the teen.

Cloud listened to Zack list off the various bonus effects that Mako could give as he dug into his own meal. He couldn't tell if was from hunger or not, but the food here tasted so much better than what the Cadet mess hall served. He had to admit being able to see in the dark was pretty cool. Same with enhanced hearing and vision.

Then Zack listed the last thing that was enhanced and Cloud nearly choked on his coleslaw. His face hinted a bit of blue as he fought to force down his food and regain the ability to breathe again. A couple chugs from his drink helped and once his food was past his wind pipe he gasped for breath.

"Jeez Zack!" Honestly, how old did he think Cloud was? How old was Zack? He had just realized he hadn't even asked. Sure he looked young, not even a few years older than Cloud, but couldn't Mako also make you look younger? "How old are you anyway?"

The 2nd Class couldn't help but guffaw at the teen's reaction to the last thing he listed. "Hey, you asked! I'm just being honest." He said, grinning wryly at the cadet. "It's even worse if you're a teenager. Like seriously." He snickered. Of course, he was still a teenager himself but that was beside the point. He was just finding Cloud's reaction to their increased libido after getting Mako in their systems hilarious.

Blinking, the teen was surprised Cloud didn't know how old he was. "I'm seventeen." He said around some fries. "What about you? You're like, what, twelve?" He teased, grinning mischievously. He knew the teen was older than that but he couldn't help but tease him, especially after the joke about the dragon's tail.

Cloud knew Zack was teasing about his age. After all, you had to be at least fourteen to enlist in the Cadet program, let alone SOLDIER. He took another sip of his water, still trying to cure the urge to cough. "I'm fifteen." Though he hand to wonder if he looked younger than that. His height or rather, lack of didn't help matters.

He took another bite of his shrimp meal, which he enjoyed. Seafood was a rare treat back home and he had been surprised to see it on the menu. "So, what made you wan to join SOLDIER? If you don't mind my asking?"

Zack grinned. "Fifteen's a good year, but sixteen is the best. Especially with Mako shots." He laughed and winked at the teen, eyes flashing in amusement. He finished off his burger and fries before he answered the cadet, and after leaning back his eyes seemed to glow with pride and happiness at the thought of his dream of being in SOLDIER.

"It's always been my dream! To become a hero like Sephiroth!" He pumped his fist and grinned. "And I'm so close to becoming a 1st Class, I can almost taste my dreams coming true!" He beamed.

Angeal had made a comment once or twice that the teen was close to making 1st. He couldn't wait until he finally proved himself to be good enough to join the ranks of the most powerful men of SOLDIER.

**xoxo**

Genesis was right behind Angeal. There was no smirk, no amusement, not even the anger he had felt a moment ago. He was determined and just as worried as Angeal. The most dangerous person in Shinra was not the President and it wasn't Sephiroth, it was Hojo. That whack job had a habit of making people disappear. And as angry as Genesis was at Zack for messing with his books, nothing warranted him to deserve that kind of fate.

Reno had no idea what had just happened or how he seemed to have gotten off without any punishment, but he was not about to complain. He did think about following them, but that look the SOLDIERs had. Reno had nerves of steel, sure, but you didn't go messing with Firsts and unless you either had orders to do so or a death wish, you left them alone.

Looking down at his paperwork, Reno sighed and pulled the first manila folder towards him.

Angeal was a big man, and his friend always joked about him being slower because of his size. And despite his Mako enhancements he was a little slower than Sephiroth and especially Genesis, but no one would think he was slow when he made his way back to the elevators and hit the button.

The doors couldn't open fast enough for the Commander, and as he hit the button for the labs, his heart hammered in his chest. Zack had actually gone after Hojo's project. He couldn't even fathom what had gone through his student's mind. He only hoped they'd reach the labs before Zack could strike, or just before Hojo had a chance of making his puppy disappear.

His eyes glowed brighter with the adrenaline that pumped through his veins with his Mako.

Genesis watched his friend with barely controlled patience at the slow pace of the elevator as they merely stood still. The worry was coming off his friend in waves and he had to do something to calm the man. "Angeal, if we make it in time, I'm sure you'll beat this lesson into his thick head to never mess with Hojo ever again."

Genesis hated Hojo. It was bad enough that they had to get their Mako injections from him, but just the man being in the same room could curdle milk. Genesis would give up every copy of Loveless he had if he could be given the chance to kill the man...and get away with it.

Eyes flashing Angeal looked at Genesis, his expression full of alarm. "_If we make it in time_? What do you mean IF?" His blood pressure shot through the roof with that statement. If? Goddess if Hojo did anything to his student, not even Sephiroth would be able to keep him from slaughtering the man with the Buster Sword.

Before the doors were even fully opened he got off the elevator and rushed to the labs, heart hammering in his chest and blood rushing in his ears.

Throwing the doors open to the labs, Angeal was immediately greeted by the strong scent of fresh fertilizer. He was used to the smell since he used some on his own plants, but that smell had no business in the labs. "Zack?" He called, hurrying inside with his hand on the hilt of his sword.

The sight of a lone assistant cleaning up a rather messy portion of the lab, -which looked like fertilizer and water had literally just been dumped right there- Angeal's towering frame went over to the man. "What happened here? Where's Hojo?" He grabbed the assistant by the arms and gave a slight shake.

Usually he didn't try and scare people, but in this case he threw caution to the wind. He wanted his puppy safe and sound, and nothing would stand in his way; especially not some lab assistant.

Well, that had the complete opposite effect Genesis was going for, but at least it got his friend moving faster. Genesis mused about how he could use that knowledge in the future, but shoved that to back of his mind when the scent of Mako hit him in the face. How it made him sick. It was a sure sign that they were in the labs. Though, what surprised him above all else was the added stench of fertilizer.

"By the planet! That stinks!"

The man gave out a squeak of fright as Angeal grabbed him and shook him. Once he saw his assailant's face however, he calmed down a little. "Oh thank Gaia. I thought you were Hojo."

"I suggest you answer my friend's question," Genesis warned him, his hand brushing the hilt of Rapier.

"Hojo? He's not here. We or rather, he was working on a new formula and then the next thing happened was..." He looked down at the mess that was at their feet. "It rained down from the ceiling, Commander. Followed by water. Hojo it...it landed right on him."

"What?!" Genesis slapped a hand over his mouth to stifle the laughter. "Are you saying Hojo was covered in fertilizer?"

The assistant nodded, "At least a whole bag's worth I'd say."

Genesis couldn't help but lean into Angeal as he broke down laughing. "Oh, I take it back! Hahahaha! You're St-hahahaha! H-he's a genius!"

"Who?" Asked the assistant.

Genesis's humor vanished almost instantly. "None of your business." He gave the room another look. "Have any other SOLDIERs come through here? SOLDIERs who normally shouldn't be here?"

The man shook his head. "Not that I know of."

Sometimes Angeal had to wonder if his best friend was bi polar with how fast he could switch moods.

Shaking his head, Angeal released the assistant at once and did a full and proper facepalm. His student hadn't. Yet the man was apparently witness to it. "So you're telling me no one has been in here and Hojo doesn't know who did this?" He asked, finally removing his hand from his face to look at the assistant.

He did relax a little, knowing Hojo had no idea who did this. But it still didn't answer his question as to where the bad puppy went scurrying off to next. Zack really had done it this time. And ironically, he didn't think the teen would be in a lick of trouble because Sephiroth would be too amused to care about the missing slingshot or the glued pen.

Eyes flashing, he pinched the bridge of his nose. Zack had done this as a safety precaution against punishment for those things. His student was too smart not to have thought this would effect how Sephiroth reacted to the pen incident.

The sneaky puppy.

The assistant rubbed his arms after the Commander had let go. "No sir, neither Hojo nor myself saw who did it. But I can tell you whoever is responsible had better not get discovered by the professor. After he had been...er well, dumped on, he uttered a few threats about what he would do to them that I don't want to repeat."

"Why not? Is it classified?" asked Genesis.

The assistant shook his head. "No, it's just...well, it's stomach turning, to put it lightly."

Genesis had heard enough. Not wanting to stay here any longer he grabbed Angeal by the arm and began to pull him out of the labs and back towards the elevator. "You know what?" He said after they were clear of any listening ears. "I say we give up this wild chocobo chase and let him come to us. Why don't the three of us simply wait in his apartment? He's bound to return there, if he's not there already."

Angeal blanched when the assistant talked about what Hojo had wanted to do, and he didn't want to know what he had said because he feared he'd rip Hojo apart without any due cause. He grumbled and followed behind Genesis, shaking his head a bit. "I suppose you're right...let's head back to Seph's office and tell him what we found before going and waiting for Zack at his apartment."

Running a hand through his hair, he left the labs and back to the elevators. At least Hojo had no clue who dumped the fertilizer on him, and he hoped he'd never find out.

Genesis nodded in agreement as he hit the elevator button and stepped inside. He thought it funny. Angeal always called Zack a mother hen, but Genesis saw that the kid more than likely got it from his mentor. Though in the Commander's case he was more 'mother grizzly' when it came to his student.

"Yes, I suppose we owe Sephiroth an update. I wonder if he managed to remove his pen yet without causing much damage? I bet he lost his temper and sliced his desk in half." He chuckled at the thought.

Angeal stepped onto the elevator and snorted. That wasn't entirely impossible; Sephiroth's temper was a rare but deadly thing. He chuckled at the thought of the few times he'd seen it and he shook his head. Even the Commander knew what fear felt like when faced with an angry General.

"Let's just hope he's calm so we can explain what he did to Hojo. I'm not sure which way he'll react over that one." He snorted and rubbed his face. Sephiroth probably would find it humorous, but it depended on his already given mood.

Genesis arched an eye brow at his friend. "Well, if he jumps to Hojo's defense we'll know he's lost his mind. The only person in this entire building stupid enough to defend Hojo is the President." The elevator rose up the several floors until it came to a stop at Sephiroth's office.

"Besides, Sephiroth could probably use a good laugh right about now. Didn't he seem just a tad tense during the meeting? Or was that just me?"

Snorting, Angeal stepped off the elevator once the doors opened up. "He's always tense when he has to repeat himself over and over to Shinra. You know he hates repeating himself to that man." He said, glancing at Genesis and smiling wryly before he walked into Sephiroth's office.

The desk was still in one piece, which was a good sign. He sat down heavily and rubbed his face. "Well, we found a couple more places Zack struck today. You won't believe it." He said, laughing weakly and rubbing the back of his neck.

Sephiroth looked up as Angeal and Genesis walked in, a bit frustrated after fighting with getting his pen off his desk. He'd managed it, but not without scuffing the desk. He'd have to have it repaired, or simply replace it one because that scuff would be too distracting.

"So what's the damage? And where is he?" He asked, wanting to see Fair himself after the thing with the pen. He wouldn't impale the teen on Masamune, but he did want to scare him with it at least. Angeal would not be able to save the teen from having ten years scared off his life.

Genesis nodded in agreement as they stepped off the elevator. He hated the man almost as much as Sephiroth did. And even more now thanks to recent events. That however was the last thing on his mind as he saw an irritated Sephiroth at his desk. He hid it well, but Genesis knew him better than that.

When asked what Fair had been up to he couldn't help but erupt into silent laughter as he sat down on the other chair. "That depends, do you want the tragic news first? Or the more hilarious tale?"

Angeal grunted and looked at Genesis with a disapproving snort. "Gen, contain yourself." He rolled his eyes a bit. Losing all his copies of Loveless was not tragic for anyone but Genesis. "For starters, Zack stole all of Genesis's copies of Loveless and replaced them with books on puppies and chocobos." He couldn't help but chuckle at the thought of Genesis quoting a book on puppies or chocobos.

The silver haired General was a little amused and he raised a single thin silver brow. "He actually replaced every one? Impressive." He complimented. He knew Genesis had dozens of copies, so replacing them all with other books had to have taken time.

Zack had apparently thought of his plan all the way through.

"And what's the tragic news?" His lips twitched a bit as he glanced at Genesis. He figured that was what Genesis thought to be tragic, but he couldn't help but poke a little fun. He needed someone to vent his frustration out on at any rate and Genesis was a good source of humor.

TBC


	7. Setting the Trap

Disclaimer: Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- and it's characters (c) Square Enix. Me no own. Just playing with the characters here. ;) Half of this story was done by Shade the Hero. Thanks!

Shade: Hello guys, sorry this update's a bit late. Both Bahamut Fury and I have been pretty busy lately. That little thing called real life keeps getting in the way. But we haven't made any plans to stop this wonderful tale anytime soon. If you only knew what was in store, I won't give anything away, except that there are tons of laughs ahead. ;) I also hope everyone's as excited about all the new games coming from Square within the next year or two like we are. FF15 and the FF7 Remake especially. :D

Bahamut: Bahamut here! Shade summed it up pretty good, and we both really are sorry this update's a bit later than usual. But as Shade said, this story is in no way going to be stopped anytime soon, so don't give up on us or the story, because the laughs are not over yet! ;) Enjoy the update, everyone! And a big thanks to all those who review! We'll see you in the next chapter!

* * *

**Setting the Trap**

Cloud gulped at the idea of needles. He hated them, but he hid his nervousness about them with another sip from his drink as he finished off his potatoes and leaned back in his seat. It was the most full his stomach had been in a while and for once it wasn't full of gruel and the company was much better.

Cloud couldn't help but smile at the sight of Zack reveal his dream. His eyes seemed to glow brighter as he talked about being a hero. Cloud had no doubt he'd make his dream come true. He only hoped he could do the same. Their dreams were similar. Cloud wanted to be a SOLDIER like Sephiroth too, but at the same time he doubted he was hero material. Even if Tifa had made him promise to be.

"Tifa made me promise to save her when I became a SOLDIER, so I guess that makes our goals the same."

The raven haired 2nd Class couldn't help but grin at hearing a girl made Cloud promise to save her when he became SOLDIER. That was both silly and sweet. "Heh, well, I'll have to make sure you can save her in a timely fashion then!" He winked and grinned even more.

Grabbing out his wallet, the teen paid and left a decent tip, then downed his water in just a couple chugs before he sat his empty glass back on the table. "How about dessert?" He asked, smiling. "There's this sweet ice cream shop that fries ice cream. Have you ever had fried ice cream? It's the best."

He doubted the blonde had any types of the foods Midgar had to offer, so he figured they'd kill two birds with one stone and try a couple different places while out.

Cloud shook his head with the smile still there. Normally he would have told her she was crazy, but after he had failed to really save her at the bridge he wanted to make it up to her in some way. So that night when she snuck out of her house and knocked on his window and the two of them sat on the Water tower he felt like he'd be letting her down again if he didn't promise. All guilt aside, he did intend to keep it. If he ever got the chance.

As he watched Zack pay for their meal he couldn't help but think that he was cheating somehow. Sure, Cloud probably wouldn't make SOLDIER on his own. He knew that after the first week. But all the other cadets didn't have a SOLDIER willing to help them. They had to make it on their own and the last thing Cloud wanted to do was abuse Zack's kindness. But, he was also too worried to refuse. If he had turned down Zack's help then what? Hurt his feelings and fail to get into SOLDEIR? That seemed like an impossible alternative. Besides, he did kind of owe the guy.

He was brought out of his musings when his friend mentioned, "Fried Ice cream? How the heck does that even work?" He couldn't help the stupid look on his face. Wouldn't the ice cream just melt?

As they got up to leave Cloud stopped in the doorway and looked Zack in the eye. "Zack, I want you to promise me something..." He waited to make sure he had the Second's attention. "If you're going to help me get into SOLDIER. I want you to swear that you won't make it easy for me. Training aside, I don't want the title handed to me. I want to truly earn it."

The teen laughed at the look on Cloud's face after he heard about fried ice cream. "Man you gotta try it, it's awesome." He ruffled Cloud's hair and went to leave but stopped when Cloud suddenly stopped and wanted him to promise something.

Turning to look at Cloud, he offered a smile and gripped Cloud's shoulder. "You think I'd go easy on you just because we're friends? Fat chance, I'm gonna work you to the bone! No SOLDIER gets the title handed to them, except for maybe Sephiroth and he can back it up."

He sniggered and ruffled the teen's hair again. "I'll make sure you earn it even if I have to make you hate me during training." He winked and grinned deviously. "I promise you Cloud, I'll get you into SOLDIER the fair and square way. No cheating!" He poked Cloud's chest with a grin. "Or else I'll beat you up and work you harder!"

Angeal had never gone easy on him, and he wasn't about to dishonor his mentor's teachings by going easy on his own student.

Cloud wasn't sure if he should be worried or relieved when he heard Zack's answer. At least it would really prove what he was made of and no one would be able to say he only got in because a SOLDIER helped him. Though, he had to raise an eye brow at the thought of hating him. Anyone who hated Zack had to be crazy. Zack was the type that could get along with anyone. Throw him in a pit of snakes and they'd all be having a tea party within an hour.

The image that painting caused him to snort with laughter for a moment. Where had that even come from? Jeez, Zack was rubbing off on him fast.

Cloud nodded to Zack and finally started moving out the door again, "Good. Because we Nibelheim folk are made of some pretty tough stuff. You know, from all that dragon meat." He couldn't help but add. He stepped to the side to let Zack lead the way. Midgar was so big and there were a lot of things that were new to the small town boy.

Eyes flashing, the 2nd Class snorted a laugh and wrapped an arm around Cloud's shoulders while guiding him through the streets and toward the ice cream shop. "Yeah, sure. I'm gonna get you back for that one, Spiky! You better watch out, you might wake up with rainbow hair!"

That thought made him burst into laughter. The thought of a rainbow chocobo walking through Shinra. Cloud would be spotted from halfway across the continent.

Ruffling Cloud's hair he grinned deviously at him. "Better sleep with one eye open, cadet!" He laughed again. He wouldn't actually do it, but it'd be fun to tease him about doing it. And the thought alone made Zack bubble with laughter while they walked through the streets.

When they entered the ice cream shop, the teen immediately ordered two of the fried ice creams, wanting the cadet to taste it at least once. "If you don't like it, I'll eat it and get you another. But I promise you'll love it!" He flashed a bright smile at the younger teen and gave a thumbs up.

Cloud blinked as he tried not to show the worried look he had. He really didn't want to believe that Zack was being serious, but after he had seen his other pranks first hand he wasn't entirely sure he was joking. Not many would dare tempt the fury of a First Class, let alone two of them. And Cloud could still remember the pure rage in the screech that he assumed came from Hojo as the fertilizer made it's way down the ventilation shaft.

He let Zack lead him along the streets and into the ice cream shop. The scent of the different frozen flavors and sprinkles hit him the moment he stepped inside and it was very pleasant compared to the polluted air from outside that was thick with city life and just a hint of Mako from the eight large wells that surrounded the city.

Cloud was willing to try it, but he was also curious to see how it was made. He still couldn't wrap his mind around the idea of it. Fried meant cooked and cooked meant hot and ice cream melted when near any form of heat. But, when Zack had ordered it, the clerk behind the counter gave no strange look which meant it was normal. So, then it was possible? How?

Cloud couldn't help but scratch his head. "Why do I get the feeling that hanging out with you will be full of surprises?"

Zack looked at the blonde cadet and blinked, then grinned ruefully and patted his head. "Don't worry little dude, you'll eventually get used to everything just like I did and then nothing will surprise you again." He laughed and looked back to the clerk, watching as they made their treats.

He'd been surprised many times when he was still new in town, being from Gongaga. But that just left him wanting to see and learn more about the world after being stuck in a small village the first few years of his life. Cloud kind of reminded him of himself in that aspect, seeing everything Midgar had to offer for the first time.

Zack paid for their treats before they were made and slipped his wallet back, then grinned at Cloud. "This is gonna blow your mind. It's awesome. We'll head back after we eat these, wouldn't want you breaking curfew and all, cadet." He sniggered.

The 2nd Class had more leeway in terms of curfew because of his rank and the fact he was being taught under Angeal Hewley himself, but he remembered the days as a cadet when they had the strictest curfew. That had always sucked when the teen had so much energy he was hardly ready for bed so early.

The other cadets always hated that about Zack.

Cloud blinked as he looked up at the clock on the shop wall. It was getting a little late, yet time had seemed to fly by. Still, even though he should have been worried about it, he couldn't bring himself to really care considering the other things they had done already.

Cloud accepted his treat and sat down at a table a little ways away. He took a moment to study the snack first. There was a crispy outer layer of what looked like breading with whip cream on the top with a cherry. Cloud guessed the ice cream was on the inside. Taking his plastic fork, (or was it a spoon? It looked like both) he stuck it in and took a bite.

"Wow. It's different, but good!" And he took another bite.

The ravenette was beaming when Cloud said it was good. He quickly sat across from Cloud with a bright, mile wide smile as he dug into his own. "See, I told you it was good!" He started to dig into his, by eating the cherry then working the 'spork' as Zack liked to call them into the hard crust and getting an even amount of crust, ice cream and whipped cream.

The taste was unique but amazing, and it was one of Zack's many favorite treats after he'd moved here from Gongaga. "Just wait until you go for a few months in the field with just field rations, anything will taste great then." He snorted a laugh. He hated going months with nothing but field rations. They were almost as bad as the slop served in the cafeteria.

Cringing at the very thought, he shoveled a large scoop of the fried ice cream into his mouth and chewed, savoring the wonderful taste. "I'll take you out tomorrow to try some other different places." He said around his mouthful, his words garbled a bit until he swallowed. "There's a nice restaurant that has Wutaian style food over in Loveless Avenue. Bet you'd like their food, and they got some good desserts there too." He smiled, remembering when Angeal had taken him there with Genesis and Sephiroth.

Angeal couldn't read the menus and since neither could Zack, Genesis had to order for them both. It had been a bit embarrassing and funny, but Genesis had at least gotten them some good food and nothing crazy weird.

**xoxo**

Genesis merely shrugged at his friend's comment. They were both of equal rank and title. Why should he contain his obvious amusement? "Indded, the pup has spunk, I'll say that much. Though, he's also very stupid for thinking that I'll just let him get away with it." Sure, Genesis would let Angeal handle the punishment, but that didn't mean Genesis couldn't make the Second Class wet his pants the next time he saw him.

His eye twitched when Sephiroth asked for the tragic news. "Oh ha ha," He replied with a deadpan look. "I realize humor is not among your many strengths, Seph, so I'll let that pathetic attempt slide." A smirk returned to Genesis's lip as he recalled the other incident. "Speaking of slide. That crazy SOLDIER decided to slide some fertilizer down the ventilation shaft. Right onto Hojo's head!"

Angeal chuckled warily and looked at Sephiroth with a nod. "Zack poured a whole bag of fertilizer and a bucket of water down the ventilation shafts, apparently on top of Hojo's latest project. And Hojo." He bit his gloved finger in an attempt to keep from laughing. He'd have loved to have seen that. At the very least, the greasy scientist had to finally take a full and proper bath. Which Angeal doubted he'd done anytime lately.

Sephiroth chuckled at Genesis. Always so dramatic about Loveless. He'd have to commend Zack on getting rid of them for a little while.

But when Genesis and Angeal explained what the 2nd Class did to Hojo, his usually neutral expression fell away and he couldn't help the snorting laugh that escaped. "Did you say...fertilizer...on him?" He leaned back, putting his chin in his hand and smirking. Now that was pure genius on the teen's part. Oh how he would have loved to have seen Hojo covered in fertilizer.

Genesis snickered at the idea. "I would have given almost anything to see the look on his slimy face when all that muck landed on him."

He wiped an invisible tear from his eye as tried to finally compose himself. "That pup also appears to have the best timing or perhaps just dump luck. No one knows it was him either. Hojo was alone except for one assistant and neither of them know who's responsible, but just to be safe I think it best if we keep Zack's escapades to just us, him and the cadet he no doubt forced to help him. Hojo has sworn to do some pretty twisted things to whoever ruined his latest project. Personally, I think he's just angry that he was made to look like a fool for once."

He stretched his arms up in an attempt to pop his shoulders. "We haven't heard of anything else that the pup may have done so I think it's safe to say that the pup's reign of terror is over. Though, we still haven't caught him yet. I suggested we wait in his apartment for him to turn up."

The raven haired Commander chortled. "Dumb luck." He commented wryly. There just couldn't be any way Zack had known Hojo was standing there that moment. His student was smart, but he wasn't that smart yet.

Shaking his head ruefully, he ran a hand through his hair. "I hope you won't put this on paper Seph. I don't want to know what Hojo threatened and I don't want him getting his hands on Zack." He looked at the General pleadingly. The idea of Hojo getting his hands on Zack made his heart drum painfully in his chest.

He hoped Sephiroth didn't plan on writing up the 2nd's escapades from the day for his safety.

Sephiroth chuckled, also having wished he'd seen the look on Hojo's face. He had to give Zack some props for that one. "I believe keeping this off paper is indeed the best decision for everyone's sake." He glanced to Angeal, seeing the relieved look cross his face. He nodded and looked to Genesis while standing from behind his desk. "If Zack's 'reign of terror' is indeed done, then let's go and wait for him to show up. At least I don't have to worry about Shinra come crumbling down today."

It was a half hearted joke, because with Zack on the loose like today who knew what could happen. He was at least impressed with Zack's little 'prank' on Hojo. That was probably the best news he'd received in over a month, and he'd savor it for life.

Genesis smirked. As much as he enjoyed giving Sephiroth a hard time, both he and Angeal had tried to give him at least a little reprieve from the stress of commanding SOLDIER and dealing with the stress of every day life, especially with a crazy man like Hojo constantly calling Sephiroth in every other week for...whatever it was. Sephiroth would never tell them what would go on between the two, but it was obvious how much it troubled him because he would always become distant and it was hard to find him. Other times he'd be in the training room which would then be closed several days after for repairs. And that system was not easy to damage.

It was nice to see Sephiroth actually amused for once instead of the gloomy brooder he normally is. He never let on how much he worried for the man that he thought of as one of his closest friends. Though, he never admitted that part out loud. It brought Genesis's earlier problem back into focus and he realized that Sephiroth must feel the same in some way, otherwise he wouldn't have agreed to keep the secret about what Genesis had said earlier regarding treason.

In an attempt to push those thoughts out of his mind again, Genesis stood up and nodded towards Sephiroth, indicating for him to lead the way to the Second's apartment. "After you, General."

Sephiroth nodded to Genesis and walked out from behind his desk, leading the way toward the elevator. "I hope we're not sitting around for long. Last I recall a 2nd's quarters isn't exactly built for three." He snorted. He'd never had to live in a smaller apartment than his own considering he'd moved in as soon as Hojo thought him to be old enough to be living on his own, even before he was General or even a 1st Class. Even other 1sts apartments were more adequate than a 2nd's.

Angeal smiled wryly and pushed the button for the floor with Zack's apartment when they got onto the elevator. "It's not the size of the apartment you need to be concerned for. It's the fact Zack probably hasn't done laundry in about a month." Angeal snorted quietly. His student had the messiest apartment he'd ever known. He himself wasn't a clean freak, but Zack made slobs look tidy with how he left things strewn about.

And he didn't want to know what some of the stains were that were on some of the furniture and flooring. By all accounts Angeal was a strong, brave SOLDIER, but he wasn't strong enough or brave enough to ask the teen what they were.

Genesis failed to hide the distaste in his features from the description his friend gave for the Second's living quarters. "Perhaps that's where I'll start. By making his belongings disappear. An eye for an eye after all." Though, a few dirty clothes and whatever else the teen possessed didn't seem to measure up to a treasure trove of precious novels, but perhaps there would be something the teen valued that he could use as leverage to teach him a lesson. A favorite CD perhaps? A poster, a movie,_ something._

"I wonder how we can kill time until he comes back? Perhaps we should try to find out which cadet was helping him? Unless he's still with Zack, that is."

Sephiroth glanced at Genesis while they waited for the elevator to reach the 2nd's apartment flooring. "It's doubtful Fair has anything that he deems as important as you do your Loveless collection." He stepped off the elevator when the doors opened and walked toward Zack's apartment.

Turning to look at Genesis, he smirked just the smallest however. "Of course, no one is as obsessed over material objects as you are with Loveless, so you'll be hard pressed to teach any lessons that way."

Angeal couldn't hold back the laugh at that. Sephiroth was right, no one obsessed over things the way Genesis did Loveless. It was always something they teased him about. "Be nice Seph." He patted Genesis on the back with a wry grin. "Gen's like a teenage girl, he can't help it. Especially after he seen Gackt starring in the first time he ever saw the Loveless play."

He laughed again and walked ahead, entering Zack's apartment when there. Of course he was greeted with the scents of a small apartment occupied by a teenage SOLDIER, but he was used to it and ignored it for the most part. "As for that cadet, we'll ask him when he gets here who helped him."

Nodding, he cleared off the couch with a snort at the dirty laundry strewn everywhere before he sat down. "Hopefully he'll be in soon. With Reno busy and Zack's 2nd Class friends out on missions, he shouldn't be out too long by himself." He hoped that was the case, anyway.

If Genesis had been a cat his fur would have been sticking out in a furry rage at their comments. Insulting Loveless was bad enough, but comparing him to a teenage girl?! Boy did that hit a nerve. "Fine, go ahead and have your laugh, but when I get a student of my own, I'll make sure he's trained to respect the classic brilliance that is Loveless and I'll teach him to respect his betters."

Of course, Genesis didn't want a student. He barely had the patience to tolerate the cadets when passing them in the halls. But it still would be nice to know if he did become a mentor that he'd be able to handle him and prove that he was just as good a teacher as his friend. "I'll still find some way to get back at him though, mark my words."

When Genesis entered the apartment, he had to cover his nose with his hand. "Great Bahamut! How can anyone stand to live in this dump?" Angeal had not been exaggerating, but as he looked down at his feet he saw something interesting and he bent over to pick it up. "It seems we won't have to look far to find out which cadet is helping him. It seems he's staying here." He was holding a discarded top half of a cadet uniform.

Sephiroth stepped into the apartment, ignoring the scent in favor of the sheer mess. He was compulsive about how things were, and this apartment was chewing at his compulsive nature to straighten up almost painfully. "I do hope when he becomes 1st Class, he'll at least attempt to keep his apartment cleaner."

The General wasn't about to sit down in this mess, and opted to cross his arms and lean against the back of the couch, glancing down at Angeal. "I would have thought he'd have gotten some cleaning pointers from you by now." He said, before flicking his gaze toward the garment Genesis had found.

"Then Fair should be returning soon, cadets still have a curfew, even on the weekends." He could live with that.

The raven haired Commander smiled wryly at Genesis and chuckled. "You don't have the patience for a student, and even if by some miracle you managed to tolerate one long enough, he'd be just as sick of Loveless as anyone else, if not more." He laughed quietly. His best friend would never meet anyone whom 'respected' Loveless on the same level as himself.

Glancing the discarded cadet uniform, Angeal nodded toward the discarded overnight bag. "That bag must be his then. I thought I heard Zack talking about having a friend over for the weekend, didn't realize it was a cadet though."

TBC


	8. Planning a Little Training

Disclaimer: Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- and it's characters (c) Square Enix. Me no own. Just playing with the characters here. ;) Half of this story was done by Shade the Hero. Thanks!

Bahamut: Welcome back for another update! Sorry it's taken awhile to be updated, haha! Life, you know? But hey! Shade and I figured you guys have been patient enough for the next chapter. ;) Plans for training are being made here, and next chapter should prove most interesting to read, so stay tuned for the updates following this one! For now, enjoy this one, because the feel-good air is about to combust.

Shade: Bahamut summed it up about right. We would have gotten this out sooner, but, yeah, the Holidays are coming around. Hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving, and if Turkey day isn't among your holidays, then we hope you had a great weekend regardless. :D We'll try to get one more update before Year's end and as she said, the next chapter is one of the big ones. Enjoy! ^_^

* * *

**Planning a Little Training**

Cloud wasn't going to ruin their appetites by mentioning the fact that his instructor had given them a sneak peek at the kind of food they'd get on the field during missions. The contents inside varied and their instructor said that it was dehydrated and natural. Obviously he was high on something because anyone with a lick of common sense could tell there was no way that whatever was in the packets had ever been natural. What was supposed to be cheese looked and smelled like something had used it as a blanket and then died. The rest of the pack was even less appetizing than that.

Cloud forced the memory to the back of his mind as he took a bigger bite into his ice cream. The flavor was refreshing and as he looked over at Zack he realized that he'd try to pay him back one day. Sadly, he couldn't really do that right now since cadets pretty much made next to nothing. But he silently promised himself that when he became a SOLDIER he'd take his future-proclaimed mentor out for a good meal to repay him.

Cloud had no idea why he thought of the sudden realization, but once it was in his mind, it wouldn't leave him alone. "Wait, wouldn't that disprove your theory about him? If Genesis could read the menu, then, doesn't that mean that he knows how to read something else besides Loveless?"

Zack blinked slowly as the words were processed through his mind. Then without warning he guffawed, throwing his head back and laughing in full honesty. That was the funniest thing ever and he didn't know why, but he couldn't stop laughing.

When his ribs started hurting he tried to calm himself down, snorting and snickering for minutes after. "Oh, man. That's hilarious. Yeah, except Gen practically lives over in Wutai. It's no surprise he can read the language. But Loveless isn't in Wutainese." He snickered again while chewing on his dessert.

He'd completely forgotten about his theory once the books had been replaced and they'd moved on, but Cloud had actually remembered. That was so funny, the teen couldn't help but laugh again. "We're gonna get along just fine, you an' me Cloud!" He grinned, eyes flashing with amusement.

The teen really was something else.

Cloud had almost choked on his cherry as Zack burst out laughing. He blinked a few times, wondering what on Gaia was so funny and cast a quick glance around the shop. There were only two other tables full of people and the clerk who looked their way but then shook his head and went back to what he was doing.

Okay, so they were used to Zack's...quirks. He just waited for the older teen to get the laugh out of his system and offered a smile in return. When he stated they were going to get along he could only raise an amused eye brow. "So, we haven't been getting along so far? Could have fooled me."

He took a straw that was sitting in the tray to the side and freed it from it's paper wrapper, only to ball it up and flick it Zack's direction.

When he was hit with the balled up piece of wrapper, Zack grinned. "Oh you wanna play that game, huh? Two can play it that way." And then he flicked a bit of whipped cream right back, hitting the cadet square on the nose. "Bullseye!" He laughed again while trying to eat his treat before it had a chance to melt completely.

"I can just see we'll make a great mentor and student combo!" He beamed at Cloud after he'd finished his dessert. "I can't wait to introduce you to everyone, you're gonna fit right in!" He sniggered while picking at the last bit of what was left of his dessert, smiling all the while.

"If you're up to it maybe tomorrow I'll take you into the Slums and show you around Wall Market. Or if you're feeling up to working up a sweat, we can head over to the Train Graveyard and we can see what you're made of on the monsters around there. It's a great place for training if you wanna stick close to Shinra."

With plans whirring around his mind, Zack didn't know what they'd do for the remainder of the weekend but he figured it'd end up being fun with Cloud regardless of what they decided to do.

Cloud was about to take another bite of his ice cream when something struck his nose and he flinched slightly before looking at his nose - going cross-eyed in the process. Taking his napkin he wiped his nose and gave Zack a look. "Shouldn't we pace ourselves? I doubt we could fit all that into a single weekend." Obviously Zack didn't know the meaning of the term: baby steps.

"I've never been below the plate, at least not since I first arrived and then it was just through the gate and right to the train station." He had no idea what a train graveyard was, he hoped it didn't mean full of ghost-type monsters. He had heard about them and assumed a few lived in the old mansion towards the back of his town, but no one dared to go near that place.

Cloud still didn't know who the SOLDIER's friends were either. He mentioned a Turk before, Reno was his name? and of course there was his mentor, Angeal, but who else did Zack consider a close friend? Though, the idea of getting in some training did sound appealing. "What kind of training would you have in mind?"

Zack wasn't rebuffed in the least about not being able to fit everything into one weekend. They had all the time in the world right now in his opinion and he'd take full advantage of it, squeezing in as much he could when he could.

But when Cloud actually perked up at the suggestion of training, the 2nd Class brightened up. "Well first we'd see what you're capable of with the basics. I know you're supposed to be using a rifle right now but all that training is for nothing when most SOLDIERs use swords so we'll skip that and see how you are with a sword."

He stood up and stretched before he began doing squats, mind going a mile a second. "Then I'll teach you some sweet beginner moves. Easy for someone who's not used to holding the weight of a sword and they're useful in combat." He hummed and stood upright in a flash. "Maybe try your endurance too. You need to build up your endurance. Mako helps but it helps more if you've already got a basic amount of endurance yourself." He pumped his fist with a grin. "Think you can take it, cadet?"

The blonde cadet wondered if Zack knew how relieved he was to hear that. He hated that stupid gun with a passion. He wasn't a bad aim, but it just felt _wrong_. A sword though, Cloud had seen other SOLDIERs pass in the halls and saw some with their swords and couldn't help but stare. He wanted one. He didn't know why, but it felt like he was meant to have one. Cadets and those who failed the exam and joined the normal army were forced to use rifles and the last thing Cloud wanted was to be stuck with one of those.

When Zack asked if Cloud could handle the challenge he finished the last of his ice cream and stood up. "I won't know until I try." His eyes were filled with determination. Zack had so much faith in him, more than anyone else he had met since coming here. He had to repay that faith somehow and proving he was worthy of the challenge seemed fair enough.

Cloud looked up at the clock again and sighed. It was less than twenty minutes until curfew. "I guess we should be heading back."

Zack could see the determination in Cloud's eyes and it made adrenaline rush in his veins with his Mako. He liked seeing that in the cadet and hoped he could make it grow stronger. "That's the spirit! We'll head to the Train Graveyard for some one-on-one practice where no one will bother us! Only a few monsters and I can handle them if they get too tough for you."

He wrapped an arm around Cloud's shoulders and grinned down at him while walking out of the ice cream shop. "Don't worry about curfew, we'll be back before then. Shinra's just around the corner from here." He beamed and looked ahead while they walked through the street and back toward Shinra's HQ.

"Do you have any Materia yet?" He asked, wondering if Cloud even had a basic Cure. Or even knew how to use Materia. When he'd first joined he hadn't known how to use Materia and it took practicing with them to get the hang of it. But that first basic set was always essential and needed -even if Shinra didn't tell the cadets that.

Cloud nodded. It was nice to get some real practice in, instead of just going over repetition with assembling and reassembling his rifle and then working out by doing all sorts of exercises. He knew it was to build up endurance and muscle strength, but he couldn't keep up with the way the instructor had them going. And in the end he'd always end up looking like a clumsy country bumpkin. With Zack though, there was a good chance he could do it.

The blonde shook his head sadly as they made their way back to HQ. "We're not scheduled to start Materia lessons until the week after next."

"Don't worry, we'll try working with Materia too. There's a lot of ghost type fiends in the Train Graveyard, the perfect to use Materia on." He smiled and patted Cloud's shoulder. "The cadets that are from the city have a better idea of Materia since Shinra makes them readily available, but cadets from smaller towns like ours have a harder time getting used to using Materia. So we'll practice with that so you can get some training in and be on equal terms with the other cadets." He winked and looked ahead.

The streets were still full of people returning home after a long day's work, starting night shifts, or going out to party, but Zack walked through the crowds until they dispersed around the Shinra building and walked through the double doors.

Flashing his ID to the secretary, he smiled charmingly and nodded to Cloud. With the issue of Cloud's curfew done with, he unwrapped his arm from Cloud's shoulder and jogged up the steps toward the elevators. "Come on! We can watch a movie before bed. Wanna get some rest before tomorrow, 'cause we're gonna be getting up bright and early for training, cadet!"

**xoxo**

Genesis huffed at Angeal's comment and had to bite back the bratty, immature retort that wanted to combat his friend's words. When his friend pointed out the bag in the corner that belonged to the cadet Genesis dropped the shirt and his eyes glinted as he took a step towards the bag.

"Then should we not learn all that we can about this cadet? In order to see what it is we're dealing with, that is. That way confronting him may be a bit more...entertaining." He wiggled his fingers as he took a step towards the bag, like a cat stalking up to an unsuspecting mouse.

Sephiroth just shook his head. He wasn't going to get into the middle that, nor was he interested in snooping in a cadet's overnight bag. It was hardly anything of interest to him. He just wanted to have a little chat with Zack about his pranks today and be on with his life. And possibly be seeking a new desk if that scuff didn't come out soon.

Angeal on the other hand had plenty to say. He huffed and reached over from the back of the couch, snatching Genesis's coat and dragging him down to sit on the couch. "Sit down and behave. That poor cadet probably got sucked into Zack's plot unknowingly, I doubt he's some evil mastermind." He rolled his eyes.

He felt bad enough that they'd no doubt be scaring the cadet with the legendary trio of SOLDIER in one small apartment waiting for them, but he wasn't going to let Genesis go snooping through the teen's belongings. Cadets didn't have much to begin with, their privacy stripped away the moment they enter SOLDIER.

They certainly didn't need one of the biggest gossippers -next only to Reno- going through their things.

Genesis let out a small squeak as he was yanked back and forced to plop onto the couch next to his friend. He actually stuck out his lower lip and sat back, folding his arms in a pout. "You're no fun." He still eyed the bag from where he sat. "I never said he was a mastermind, I was only curious to see if he was worth scaring or not. No doubt your pup has been telling him stories about us the way he likes to ramble. I just wanted to even the playing field. Know your enemy, right Seph?" He asked, looking up at the General.

He then glanced past the silver-haired man towards the far wall by the door. "Can we at least turn off the lights before they get here?"

Chuckling quietly at the sound and look Genesis made, Sephiroth shook his head, strands of silver hair falling over his shoulder from the action like a shimmering waterfall. "I highly doubt a new cadet is considered an enemy, Genesis." He mused, lips twitching in a smirk aimed at Genesis.

"Besides," He said, reaching over and flicking the light switch off to somewhat appease Genesis. "Like Angeal said, the cadet probably doesn't know any better. He's not the main culprit, we all know who that is. Right Angeal?" He turned his glowing gaze on said Commander.

Angeal smiled weakly and rubbed the back of his head. "Zack's a good SOLDIER, he just needs some supervision sometimes. Like Genesis." He smirked a bit at Genesis at that one.

Shaking his head though, he crossed his arms over his broad chest and leaned back into the couch. "Don't worry, Zack won't be touching Loveless or your office again, I'll make sure he understands that." He nodded, though in the back of his mind he doubted their lectures would really make that much of an impact.

They never did on Genesis, anyway, and he ended up as one of SOLDIERs Commanders.

Genesis rolled his eyes. It was easy to forget how literal Sephiroth could take things sometimes. And he wondered if Hojo had kept him under a rock throughout his whole childhood, though he'd never say that out loud. One mention of Hojo and the good mood his friend was in would vanish and be almost impossible to retrieve.

The red Commander was happy that he got one thing to go his way as his eyes began to glow in the dark like his fellow Firsts. He huffed at the idea of needing supervision. "There is a difference between needing someone to babysit and simply trying to wind down after a long mission. Is it so wrong that I want to let loose and enjoy myself without causing everyone to think I'm crazy?"

He sighed in his dramatic fashion before pulling out his favorite mastered Fire Materia and simply holding it in his hand as he stared into it's depths. It always seemed to calm him to hold such power in his hands. He smirked at his friend's promise. "Good. Hopefully he listens to you, otherwise any sparring session we have when he becomes a First will be carried out without mercy."

Sephiroth looked at Genesis pointedly. "Your idea of winding down usually consists of blowing something up, usually the labs." He shook his head. He'd filled out every report after Genesis would 'let loose' after a long mission, having to appease the President and Hojo.

Though secretly Sephiroth really didn't mind that much, especially when he reminded the President what a valuable asset Genesis was to SOLDIER in Wutai with his skills. That always got under Hojo's skin, that Shinra wouldn't get rid of the Commander. And that was worth the extra paperwork each and every time for the General.

Angeal smiled warily. He'd have to remember to warn Zack about sparring with Genesis once he made 1st Class. "At least by then he should be able to withstand your attacks." He said, laughing weakly. Zack was strong, but he wasn't a 1st Class yet and right now he wouldn't stand a chance against someone like Genesis, even in a spar.

But he hoped it wouldn't come to that. "Try and play nice Gen, he really does care about you." He smiled slightly. Zack was fiercely loyal and devoted to his friends, and being around Sephiroth and Genesis thanks to Angeal the teen had extended his devotion and loyalty to the two 1sts.

On that aspect, Angeal couldn't feel more proud of how the teen put friends above himself. If only he didn't feel the need to prank his 'close' friends the most, and they wouldn't be sitting in his apartment right about now.

Genesis gave the General a knowing look. "Oh please, I'm doing everyone a favor there. Have you seen the kind of freak show that sicko is running down there? It almost makes me sorry for the poor creatures he involves in his projects. Why shouldn't I put them out of their misery? Though, causing that behemoth's urine sample to spill all over Hojo's head that one time was purely accidental."

Genesis laid his head back against the couch as he looked at the far wall. "I know, Angeal. He's a damn good SOLDIER, I'll admit that. And I have no doubts that he'll make a great First, but he still has a lot to learn still."

Part of Genesis didn't want to admit that he secretly hoped the rug-rat never changed. SOLDIER needed someone like him. Someone who could mingle openly with people from all ranks and all branches of the company. Not many people could do that. Some could try, but no one was welcomed as warmly as Zack could be.

"I'm sure it was." Sephiroth replied, though his tone said differently. That had been rather humorous, though he did his best to keep the humor to himself. Hojo had been angered enough and he didn't want the professor's wrath intensified more than it had already been done.

"On the topic of Fair becoming 1st Class, do you think he's getting close to taking the exam for the promotion?" He wondered aloud, glancing over the back of the couch at Angeal.

The Commander ran a hand through his hair and nodded. Sephiroth might have been following the reports, but only Angeal had any real insight when he trained with him on how close he'd be to taking the 1st's exam. "He is, but Gen's right, there's still some things he needs to learn." And he needed to mature just the tiniest bit more, though Angeal kept that to himself because everyone present already knew that much about Zack.

"His stealth ability is still lacking a bit. And his patience." He chuckled. Zack hated the word 'patience' because the teen truly had none to speak of.

Genesis toyed with one of the buttons on his coat for a moment in thought before coming up with a suggestion. "What if all three of us put him through a training test? Stick him in a training room and have him go up against the three of us? Nothing extremely destructive, he'd simply have to take us by surprise. This would be a test of stealth and the patience to pull it off. If he can get past at least two of us, that should be enough to know if he's ready, correct?

"Of course, there will be paperwork involved in setting it up and Sephiroth still needs a word with that head Turk about my little dilemma concerning my mission in Wutai." He wasn't about to forget to make sure that the Princess remained safe. "And there's also Lazard's approval to deal with."

"I'll be leaving to speak with Tseng after we're done here. I'll call him in to my apartment and we'll discuss your situation. As for the Director," Sephiroth shifted, glancing down at Genesis where he stood leaning against the back of the couch still. "Lazard will approve anything if it means getting another 1st Class in SOLDIER."

Lazard was a decent man and Sephiroth actually didn't mind speaking with him concerning his SOLDIERs, unlike the President. Lazard knew Shinra needed more 1sts and knew that Zack was on the list of being next to take the exam. So this test to help Zack get better with real stealth and patience needed of a 1st would no doubt be approved immediately.

Angeal hummed. He liked that idea, and three was better than one indeed. "That'll work. Think you can make it happen sometime this week? Gaia only knows when the President decides to send Genesis back to Wutai, so it's best to do it now while he's here."

He smiled a little sadly at his friend. He hated how Genesis spent so much time in Wutai and away from them. He didn't doubt his friend's ability to stay alive, it just wasn't his home and his friends were here, not there.

TBC


	9. Bad Puppy

Disclaimer: Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- and it's characters (c) Square Enix. Me no own. Just playing with the characters here. ;) Half of this story was done by Shade the Hero. Thanks!

Shade: Hello readers, We hope you're having a wonderful holiday season. Some of you may not have heard the news yet, but the new trailer for the FF7 remake was released a few days ago and it shows not only awesome gameplay, but we get to hear some of the talented voice cast. So far only Wedge, Jessie, Biggs and Barret were heard...oh, and of course Cloud. I don't know about you, but I'm growing very impatient for this release to come. Hope your winter holidays are filled with joy and we'll see you in the next update! Enjoy! :D

Bahamut: Bahamut here! Shade and I have been eagerly discussing the new FF7 remake trailer that was released, and we're both super happy to know Cloud's voice actor from Advent Children has reprised his role. :D If any of you have any more news on the upcoming release, we'd love to hear it! But aside from that excitement, I hope you're all as ready as I am for Christmas break! For now, have a great weekend, and enjoy this chapter!

* * *

**"Bad Puppy"**

Cloud nodded in response to Zack's suggestion. He had seen Materia before, in the caves behind his hometown, however it was in it's natural, raw form and could be dangerous if not handled carefully. Children were forbidden from going anywhere near that area for that reason among others, including the monsters that lived in the area. Large birds of prey and the packs of Nibel wolves. It was a regular occurrence to hear them howling at night from his bedroom window.

Cloud followed after Zack at a more normal walking pace. All that good food was still digesting and he had to raise a hand to stifle a burp. "Do you ever run out of energy?" He couldn't help but ask.

He had no idea what Zack's taste in movies were, there wasn't much of a signal that could reach his town, so catching any kind of TV show was rare and Cloud's mother didn't own a TV. Only the mayor and the local Inn could afford a TV set.

He was looking forward to a good night's sleep and figured anything was better than sleeping on those cadet bunks. The springs were rusted and squeaky due to years of use and the mattress was anything but comfortable.

Zack waited by the elevators and grinned at the teen that followed him. "Nope!" He laughed, doing squats in front of the elevator doors while waiting for them to open up. As soon as they opened he straightened and strode onto the elevator and hit the button for his floor.

"Tomorrow's gonna be a good day, I can just feel it in my bones!" He playfully punched Cloud in the shoulder with a rueful grin. "You and me out training in the Train Graveyard, monsters, swords, Materia!" He bounced in place, looking up at the numbers of the elevator as they went up to the floor.

He was pretty excited to actually train with Cloud. Even if he was just a cadet, he got to teach someone some of the things he knew and he loved the idea of being able to help the teen get closer to his own dreams.

Cloud was startled a bit when Zack gave him a punch, but he barely had time to so much as rub his arm when the elevator shifted a bit from the SOLDIER's energy that was overflowing. "Easy! Save your energy for the graveyard." Cloud hoped that his life wouldn't be suddenly cut short by such a random act. Death by elevator. Not the best way for a SOLDIER to go out. Or a cadet for that matter.

He wished they would have taken the stairs instead. At least then Zack could have spent a little of his pent up energy.

**xoxo**

Genesis smiled as he slung an arm over Angeal's shoulder. "Your concern is touching, but you need not worry. I've been promised a few weeks grace at least. I doubt the President was happy with my failure so it may be a while before he ships me out again." Genesis of course didn't seem at all bummed that his mission had been written off as a failure because in his eyes it wasn't. It was in fact a wake up call.

Genesis didn't know Lazard as well as his General did, though it would make sense. "Perhaps once Zack earns his First Class status one of you might be assigned to accompany me the next time I'm shipped out. It would be nice to know that someone I trust is watching my back." And it got lonely, but he wasn't going to openly admit _that_.

"Zack would be assigned to go with you to get the experience he still needs in Wutai, and no one else would be better to teach him what's expected of a 1st Class there." Sephiroth replied smoothly, glancing at Genesis. "So I hope you trust him well enough."

Sephiroth had already figured that one of them would be going with Genesis to Wutai after Zack made 1st Class, but Zack was the first thought to do so. Sending Zack in blind and new to being a 1st Class would be stupid, but sending him with someone as experienced as Genesis -whom was even more experienced in Wutai than Angeal- would be ideal.

Angeal smiled and nodded. He was glad that Genesis would be staying around for a few weeks, he missed his friend and hated having to see him go to Wutai so much. "Good." However he stiffened a bit at the thought of sending Zack to Wutai, but he had to trust Genesis would watch him just as much as Zack would watch Genesis's back. "Looks like it's already determined who'll be going to Wutai next." He shot Sephiroth a look.

Genesis wasn't sure which surprised him more. The fact that Zack would be the First to be shipped out with him or the honest praise coming from Sephiroth. Angeal's praise he was used to, but he often had to pry even the smallest compliment from the General. He wasn't even sure how to respond to that. Even a quote from Loveless escaped him.

Angeal's worries for Zack were well founded. Genesis had been able to handle himself just fine, but there had been some events during his time out there where he had to pay attention and focus. A few times he was sure he would have been killed had he not been a First. It wasn't so much the Wutai rebels and those who still hated Shinra that were a threat. It was some of the monsters that were the biggest problem.

Still, he couldn't let any of that worry him now. He had to keep on a furious face for when the Second returned at any time. "I promise, 'Geal," He teased his friend by using his childhood nickname, "Nothing will happen to your young charge under my watch."

**xoxo**

Zack grinned deviously at Cloud. "Trust me, I'll have plenty of energy for tomorrow! You're the one that's gotta save your energy, Spiky!" He laughed and looked up, seeing the number for his floor come up. "We'll get up bright and early, get some breakfast and then head into the Slums for the Train Graveyard. I'm already psyched!" He pumped his fist and grinned, eyes flashing as the doors opened.

He stepped off the elevator and beamed at Cloud. "So we'll watch a quick movie before bed. Do you wanna take the bed? I can sleep on the floor or take the couch, doesn't matter. It'll be a long time before you get your own bed that isn't worse than a bed of nails." He snickered.

He remembered the cadet barracks beds well enough and he couldn't stand them. He didn't think Shinra ever replaced them unless they were literally broken beyond repair, and even then they pulled out old beds from storage; too cheap to buy a brand new bed for them to sleep on he supposed.

Walking into his apartment, he flipped the switch on but the sight he was greeted with made him freeze in his tracks, the most still he's probably ever been in his entire life. The legendary trio were awaiting him in his apartment.

Sephiroth caught the motion of the doorknob before it was even opened and he stood upright to his full, menacing height -which in a small apartment like this and Angeal and Genesis in the room seemed all the more menacing. "SOLDIER 2nd Class Fair." He said, eyes flashing when Zack stopped and stared at him and the Commanders. "We need to have a little talk."

The 2nd's mentor stood up from the couch when Zack walked in, and crossed his arms while looking at Zack disapprovingly. "Zack." He shook his head, the teen was definitely caught off guard. If this was any other situation he'd compliment how fast Zack became still, and simply how still he was in general.

But they'd meant to cause a reaction and this was as good as any in scaring the teen. He had to hold back a chuckle, but it was for Zack's own good they did this here and now and not in the General's office and on paper that would give Hojo a trail to find the culprit from earlier.

Cloud didn't want to impose any further than he already had, even if this whole sleep over had been Zack's idea. "Which ever you prefer is fine. I'm sure anything is better than the barracks."

The blonde cadet followed Zack along the hall while the teen praddled on about the sleeping quarters he was forced to sleep on every night and tuned it out for the most part. It wasn't until Zack opened the door and flipped the switch on did Cloud pay attention when he bumped right into the SOLDIER's back.

"Oof," He said and was about to ask 'now what' when a deep silky voice broke the silence from within the Second's apartment and it didn't come from Zack. Cloud's eyes went wide with fright as he recognized it. There was only one person on the entire face of Gaia that had that voice. _Sephiroth!_

Cloud was thankful he was standing behind Zack and tried to selfishly use his friend as a shield. If he was lucky the General hadn't spotted him yet.

Genesis stayed where he was, though, he couldn't help the smirk as he noticed a second pair of boots standing behind the stunned pup. "Oh good, you brought your little helper with you. That saves me the trouble of hunting him down." The Commander was having too much fun already. He wasn't going to harm either of them in the least, but he loved to see them sweat. Plus he wanted to see how far Zack was willing to go to protect the little cadet so he purposely stood then and pulled out his Fire Materia.

Casting a knowing glance towards Angeal signaled he wasn't serious. "I do hope you realize how much trouble you're in, Fair."

Zack didn't even register Cloud bumping into him as he stared at the three 1sts occupying his quarters. "Uh..." He shook his head quickly and ran a hand through his spikes. "H-Hey guys, what's up?" He laughed nervously and shifted from foot to foot now, his energy levels spiking from adrenaline.

He hadn't quite expected this type of response to his pranks, at least not all three. Maybe Genesis trying to set him on fire, Angeal lecturing, and Sephiroth...well, he'd figure he'd have to run about a couple hundred laps around the training field or something. Having all three in his little apartment however was a jolt to his system.

The General didn't miss the second body that bumped into Zack from behind. "Cadet." He said, with one word his voice conveying his order for the teen to stand at attention and face them. Turning his gaze back to Zack, his Mako glowing eyes seemed to brighten, but he hid the amusement with ease.

"You know why we're here, Fair. Breaking into Genesis's apartment, stealing from him, breaking into my office and going through my desk, gluing my pen down, and let's not forget your little stunt in the Science Department." In all honesty Sephiroth didn't care about the stunt with Hojo or even Genesis's missing Loveless, those things were humorous to him. But scaring these two would prove just as entertaining to the General.

Angeal nodded to Genesis, knowing his friend wasn't about to barbecue his student or the poor cadet. He couldn't help but smirk a bit, the teen was actually using Zack as a human shield. He didn't blame him, faced with the three of them and all in such small quarters. "Zack, what have you done?" Angeal sighed quietly, pinching the bridge of his nose and shaking his head slowly.

Cloud heard two other voices that he couldn't put faces to, but he could tell he was dead by the tone one of them had as they referred to him. That was terrifying enough, but it was that one single-worded order from the General that made him nearly pass out.

With a gulp and a slow breath to try and attempt to compose himself he slowly stepped out from behind Zack to stand next to him. He saw Sephiroth then, and it took everything he had not to falter and run. With a very shaky hand he raised his arm up in a salute. "S-s-sir." He managed to stutter in a proper military greeting. Could the others see how he was slightly trembling? Probably. His mind adapted the mantra that he had predicted when they first began their evening. He was so dead.

When the Cadet came out from behind Zack Genesis had to try very hard not to laugh. The poor cadet looked like he was about to keel over. Then again, Sephiroth did have that effect on people.

Genesis was about to ask Zack if he had said his prayers when Angeal was just a little bit faster with his question. Stilll, he allowed the Materia in his hand to ignite and appeared as if Genesis was holding a fireball, which he was and aside from the fact that he mastered that element above any other, he was also wearing fire-proof gloves which protected his hands from the flames.

He took a step towards Zack when the cadet did something shocking and stood in between the Second and the three Firsts. "It's not all Zack's fault." Cloud gulped, knowing that he had to do this. Zack had stuck up for him, it was time to return the favor. "H-he did this for me...to uh, work up my confidence. He s-said I n-needed to man-up a-and he w-was right."

This was either the most selfless thing Cloud had ever done or the dumbest. They were in trouble either way, so he may as well show Zack how much he appreciated his help.

Genesis slowly blinked and then cast a glance over towards Sephiroth, letting him know that he had the floor and wanted to see how he'd address the cadet. Personally Genesis was impressed with his spunk, but it was Sephiroth's call.

The 2nd Class was most surprised by Cloud's sudden stance to protect the teen from their wrath. He blinked down at the blonde mop of air that now stood in front of him and he shook his head, smiling proudly. The cadet was trying his hardest to be brave and not let Zack take the brunt of the punishment, but he'd been reserved to take whatever the 1sts dished out.

He hadn't even flinched at Genesis's little fireball display, simply because he'd faced that too many times and been burned just as many to be fully intimidated anymore by his fire. (Though he'd still run for his life if given the chance)

Casting a glance at Angeal, Zack took a breath and shook his head. Cloud didn't deserve any type of punishment when he'd pulled him into his plots to prank. He gripped the teen's shoulder and smiled. "It's alright Cloud, you don't have to do that." He glanced at them and smiled sheepishly while tugging Cloud aside. "He didn't even know we were in Sephiroth's office until I told him, or who Hojo is. Everything was my idea, I just dragged him along."

He flicked his eyes between the 1sts and rubbed the back of his neck, smiling impishly. "Come on, you can't be this angry with me, right? They were just jokes?" He offered, laughing nervously.

The Silver General snorted quietly. He had to admit to himself, the cadet's actions were admirable -if not a little stupid. But there was obviously something Zack saw in him. Exchanging glances with Genesis, he nodded and crossed his arms, his head tilting just the tiniest bit. "So you admit to having done everything yourself, Fair?" He questioned, his tone still commanding authority.

He wasn't about to let him off the hook entirely. And that went double for Cloud. "Admirable for you to protect your comrade, SOLDIER, but it's obvious he has guilt to share in this." He said, turning his gaze directly to Cloud and staring at him, before he looked again at Zack.

Angeal had to shake his head. So this was the cadet Zack had mentioned and dragged into this whole mess. The poor teen was obviously scared but he still wanted to protect Zack. And vice versa, which made Angeal proud of his student. "You should know better than to run around pranking everyone, Zack. At least Sephiroth, and touching Genesis's Loveless? Goddess only knows what you were thinking about dumping fertilizer on Hojo."

He sighed quietly. That had really scared him, and it took a lot to scare the Commander. The thought of what Hojo would do to Zack, it made his stomach twist. "If Hojo caught you, you'd have a lot more at stake here." He frowned disapprovingly at the teen then.

"Oh sure, just harmless jokes..." Genesis glared at Zack coldly. "You're an idiot." He balled his fist and just like that the flames went out. "I'll have you know that that collection you traded for a bunch of children's books was worth more Gil than what you could make in three years. And if I don't get my collection back ASAP then you'll be in for a world of hurt like you've never experienced."

He then shook his head. "And doing that to Hojo..." He tried to hide the snort of laughter by pretending to cough before becoming serious once more. "You _do_ realize how dangerous he is?"

Cloud couldn't help but blush slightly from pure nerves when Zack gently pulled him to the side. He wasn't sure if he should be grateful or angry at the gesture. Perhaps it was his stubborn pride that was rearing it's head or just the urge to prove he was able to stand on his own and face punishment. Even if he had no idea, he still went along with it. Still helped Zack pull them off.

"B-but, that's not true. I helped you switch the books. I kept a look out in the office a-and I carried the fertilizer. It may have been your idea, but I still went along with it." That was Cloud's way of saying, we're in the together whether you like it or not. Cloud couldn't help but flinch when Sephiroth's gaze rested on him again, but he wasn't sure if he should respond since the General was talking to Zack, but it regarded him. He chose to stand at attention instead. Oh, but what he wouldn't give to be able to melt into the floor right now.

Genesis couldn't help it. Not only was the cadet admittedly cute, but he was just begging to be scared and the fiery First was more than happy to oblige. "Well General, it seems this cadet is quite eager to face the firing squad. What's your name, cadet?"

"Cadet Cloud Strife, sir."

Genesis snorted. Cloud? Seriously, he had thought it was one of Zack's little nicknames, but it was for real? "Hmm, Strife means conflict. Are we going to have put up with your foolish actions like this in the future, cadet? Because if so, we have the full authority to expel you from the program right now." Genesis both enjoyed and felt bad for the shocked and equally heart-crushing look on the cadet's face at this news. Perhaps he had gone too far.

Zack pouted and crossed his arms defensively. "To be fair I'm trying to help show you there's other books out there. Plus I have a running bet with some of the guys that you can't actually read anything other than Loveless and Wutainese." He smiled sheepishly at the Commander. "Afraid to prove me right?" He drawled.

He shook his head about Hojo. "He doesn't know it was me though!" He looked at Angeal and Genesis both. "I can take care of myself against that old greasy geezer anyway!" He puffed up his chest to show he wasn't afraid. Granted, if he was presented to Hojo on a silver platter he may very well regret those words. The man _was _terrifying.

But when Genesis commented about kicking Cloud out of SOLDIER now if he was going to be trouble, the 2nd's eyes flashed with anger. "It's not Cloud's fault! He was just trying to impress me! Don't take it out on him! I'm sorry, I was bored and thought it'd be funny and lighten the mood, I'll take whatever punishment you wanna give, but don't punish Cloud for my stupidity!"

Angeal stepped forward, shooting a look at Genesis before he gripped Cloud's shoulder in an attempt to ease his nerves. "No one is getting thrown out of SOLDIER over a couple of pranks." He said softly, doing his best to ease the cadet's obvious fear of being thrown out.

He'd have to have a talk with Genesis later about that one, but for now he looked at Zack with a snort. "See what happens when you don't think of the consequences? I know they were just jokes Zack." He tried to smile reassuringly. He glanced at Sephiroth, hoping the General seen Zack was obviously sorry.

The General had just been watching it play out, and was surprised by how Cloud reacted to possibly being thrown out. Not all cadets would have reacted that way, -some end up regretting joining in the first place or didn't want to but had no other options- but this one seemed genuinely heart broken at the aspect of not being there.

"That's enough." He held up his hand with a snort. "Return Genesis's books so we can all have peace and consider this a lesson taught on thinking on things ahead instead of just the now." He said, looking at Zack and Cloud both.

The fact the 2nd Class was willing to take the brunt of the punishment to protect the cadet was interesting, but that was something he knew of Zack. The teen did put others before himself in that regard, and it showed Sephiroth and no doubt Angeal and Genesis that Zack would make a good SOLDIER 1st -even if he was childish with these pranks of his.

Cloud's whole world shattered around him. He was going to get kicked out of SOLDIER? But...no. It couldn't end like this. Everything around him seemed to vanish behind a thick grey fog as his mind focused on the fact that he was about to be kicked out. Nothing else registered. Not Zack's anger or his loud words in the cadet's defense, not the look on the Commander's face after threatening him.

What did bring Cloud back from oblivion was the comforting hand on his shoulder. He thought it was Zack for a moment, but when he looked up he was surprised to see it was one of the Firsts. Blinking slowly his eyes focused enough to realize it was the one who had hung back for the most part. This was Zack's mentor, Angeal? The hand on his shoulder was comforting as were his words that filled him with relief. He wasn't going to be kicked out. That knowledge alone made him want to sit down, before his legs gave out from the fear.

He tried to form a proper 'thank you' but the words wouldn't come. All he could do was nod his thanks to the Commander.

Genesis saw the look Angeal shot him and shrugged his shoulders in silent response. It wasn't his fault the boy couldn't tell if he was being honest, even if he was. If Hojo had found out who was behind it Genesis would have kicked the boy out simply to protect him. Better he be back home safe than snatched up in the clutches of a madman.

Zack rubbed a hand through his hair but nodded and glanced at Cloud, offering a weak smile. "Sorry about this Cloud. I'll make it up to you though." He mumbled, patting the teen's back then looking up at the 1sts, huffing quietly. "You know...you guys have a really bad sense of humor. This wasn't exactly funny, and I bet you laughed at at least one of my pranks." He stuck his tongue out childishly and crossed his arms, literally pouting.

Angeal couldn't help but chuckle. When Zack pouted he really was cute and he shook his head as he let go of Cloud's shoulder and cuffed Zack on the ear. "Bad puppy. We're gonna have a long talk later about what's appropriate and what's not, and who not to prank." Looking at Cloud, Angeal tried to offer a comforting smile to settle him down. "We're not mad at you Cloud, don't worry. Just try and talk Zack out of any plans like this in the future." He chuckled and patted Cloud's head, much like he did with Zack often enough in training.

"Oh I had no issue with you taking Genesis's collection of Loveless. In fact if you feel so inclined due keep them from him for at least the weekend." Sephiroth mused, his lips twitching in the slightest of smirks now that he didn't have to seem so mad with the teen over the situation.

He flicked his eyes at Genesis, knowing the Commander would throw a fit if he didn't get his books back before then, but he figured it wouldn't hurt to help lighten the mood. Even he could tell that their presence and this little conversation had made some kind if impact on Zack.

Genesis huffed at Zack's pout. "And neither is what you did. ...Well, alright, the prank on Hojo was genius, but going through the Gerenal's desk was very dangerous. Did it ever occur to you that there might be classified information buried in there? You know, gifts from the Silver Elite, a secret photo of his crush, a dead goldfish that he forgot to take care of?"

When it seemed the cadet was starting to recover from his shock Genesis figured he owed somewhat of an apology, even if they weren't his thing. "Yes, don't get your panties in a bunch cadet. We Firsts do know how to joke around just like any other human. Though, even my pranks seem tame compared to the crazy things Zack comes up with."

He then turned to the pup and placed his hands on his hips. "And just for the record, I do know how to read, I'm just very picky."

Cloud listened to the Firsts go on about the whole thing and allowed their comforting words to ease his nerves. Finally he relaxed enough to let out the breath that he had been holding. "Th-thank you, sirs."

When Angeal placed his hand on his head, Cloud wasn't sure of how to describe the feeling he had. He had never had a father growing up, but wondered if this is what it was like? Angeal seemed to fit the definition. Strict, yet caring and also had a kind side. Cloud could totally see why Zack spoke so highly of him.

He didn't jump when Sephiroth spoke this time, but did however look up when Genesis made an almost girlish squeal.

The Commander was almost seething as he glared at Sephiroth. "The entire weekend? Oh I don't think so! I lost my only copy I had on me back in Wutai and have not read it since. I won't be denied what's rightfully mine any longer than I have to!" He turned then and gave Zack a look. He was definitely impressed that the lengths the two lower Class boys were willing to go to stick up for one another, but he also meant business with what he said next.

"Those books had better be outside my front door by tomorrow morning or else I will track you down and make sure I get them back even if I have to light a fire under your butts to make sure it happens."

"I'd do it all over again if it meant finding any of that stuff in Sephiroth's desk." Zack said in all seriousness, grinning a bit wryly at the thought of any of the things being in Sephiroth's desk. All he seen were boring papers and the item he was searching for, which was technically his to begin with anyway.

Shaking his head though, he pouted. "But if the General gives me an order, I have to follow it." He said, smiling innocently at the red Commander. He'd at least have Sephiroth's protection on that one. "And it's not like you don't already have it memorized..." He drawled, looking at Genesis pointedly. "Which still begs the question if you can actually read, because you don't read anything other than Loveless or stuff in Wutainese." He grinned.

Angeal snorted and shook his head at them. At least things had cooled down well enough, even if he had to hear Genesis complain about wanting his collection back. Looking at Cloud, he smiled and nodded. "Relax Cloud, we're not in public. You don't have to be so formal." He chuckled quietly and folded his arms, glad to at least see things should be okay after that.

And he had to admit, for the most part, Zack's pranks had been hilarious. "Give it up Zack, I've tried for years to get Genesis to read anything else." He said with a quiet laugh at his friend's expense.

The silver haired General wasn't fazed in the least by the glare he received from Genesis. "As Fair said, an order from me takes precedence. And you do have the entire book and play of Loveless memorized." He didn't even attempt to hide the amusement in his voice while he looked at his friend and Commander.

Sephiroth flicked his gaze back to the cadet in the room. Zack and him could hardly know each other for long, but they'd been pretty intent on sticking up for one another. If Cloud could make it into SOLDIER, he may end up being a good one with that type of loyalty to sticking to his comrades.

TBC


	10. On Slightly Better Terms

Disclaimer: Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- and it's characters (c) Square Enix. Me no own. Just playing with the characters here. ;) Half of this story was done by Shade the Hero. Thanks!

Shade: Hello all and Happy New year! I'm feeling pretty excited and ready to face the next twelve months with a smile! The duo may have been caught, but the sleepover has only just begun. Zack and Cloud are in for some amusing and interesting surprises. We hope you enjoy whats to come and we hope that your new year is full of joy and good fortune.

Bahamut: Shade pretty much summed it all up pretty nicely, so all I have to say for this update is Happy New Year's and enjoy! ;)

* * *

**On Slightly Better Terms**

Genesis's eyes narrowed at the General as he took Zack's side of all people. Oh he'd find a way to pay him back for that one. He then turned towards Zack and kept the deadly gaze. "Very well, but come Monday morning my order still stands, as does the consequences should the order not be carried out." He rubbed the Materia that was still in his hand for emphasis.

Cloud nodded at the Commander's words, "Yes sir, I mean, A-angel."

At this Genesis snorted into a fit of laughter. "You hear that 'Geal? You save the poor kid from being kicked out and already he thinks you're a saint! Bwahahaha!"

Cloud's face flushed bright red. It wasn't his fault he made the mistake. This had been the first time he had ever met the Three Firsts. How was he not supposed to react formally? And then what happens? He messes up the man's name. Cloud wanted nothing more than to crawl under a rock.

Genesis looked over at Zack and then nudged Sephiroth, "Makes me wonder what he told the cadet about us, ey Seph?"

Zack grinned and gave a salute to both 1sts, eyes flashing in amusement. "Sirs." He snickered and rubbed his hand through his hair. It was always funny when the General's sense of humor came to the surface like this, and he wasn't about to 'disobey' that order.

When he heard what Cloud called Angeal he groaned and wrapped an arm around Cloud's shoulders, ruffling his hair with his other hand. "Cloud! Lighten up, Angeal doesn't randomly set people on fire like Genesis! Although there was that one time he broke my arm in training..." He trailed off, grinning deviously.

Angeal scoffed and cuffed Zack on the ear. "That was an accident, and I told you not to resist in that position that it would end badly for you." He shook his head at the teen and smiled at Cloud. "It's alright Cloud." He said, chuckling. It wasn't the first time his name was messed up like that, though it had been a long time since the last time.

Smirking next to Genesis, Sephiroth was obviously amused by the situation. "Whatever he said probably was more accurate than the cadet heard about us beforehand." He mused. Rumors went flying around Shinra all the time, especially about the three 1sts. At least Zack would have given him some true information about them, though he probably didn't want to know what that was.

Lighten up? Cloud wanted to elbow Zack in the ribs. How could he be expected to act in the presence of the legendary First Class SOLDIERs? He felt like a complete fool. Sure, Angeal let him know he wasn't doing anything wrong, and Genesis for the most part didn't seem unusually cruel, but it was Sephiroth that had him on edge. This man was his hero and he had looked like a idiot in front of him.

How was he supposed to prove he was worthy of becoming a SOLDIER if he acted like a fool in front of the General? Maybe he could be forgotten? No, Zack's quickly acquired habit of messing with his hair made him realize it'd be impossible. Cloud's hair was a dead giveaway and no one could forget him once they saw the hair. He would have dyed it, but that was against the rules in the program. Drat.

More importantly he didn't even know what to say in front of them. He had already spent his courage defending Zack, which seemed to have gotten their attention. Cloud still wasn't sure what the General's reaction to that had been. Aside from offering a tease towards Genesis or lecturing Zack, all he did was cast a studying glance at him every now and then. What Cloud couldn't tell was if it was a good or bad thing.

Genesis's comment about the rumors as well as Sephiroth's reply gave him a chance to step in and he'd probably kick himself later for it, but anything to stop him from looking like a startled chocobo was worth it.

"I don't pay much attention to the rumors, General. I judge people by what I see with my own eyes." Angeal had told him he didn't have to address them by title now, but Cloud was not about to muck up Sephiroth's name, nor was he going to show him any disrespect. Sephiroth had earned that title.

Genesis let out a low, impressed whistle in regards to the cadet's comment, but didn't butt in. It wasn't very common for a cadet to actually work up the nerve to directly address the General, unless Sephiroth addressed them first. Genesis was impressed. Perhaps Zack had an eye for spotting promising additions to their ranks. The kid definitely showed promise and he was going to be doing some digging into the cadet's profile once they left.

Zack smiled and rubbed Cloud's shoulder in an attempt to loosen him up. The teen was wound so tight he thought he'd snap in half if he got any tighter. He looked at the three and grinned up at them. "See? I haven't told him anything crazy either." He stuck his tongue out.

But he was glad that Cloud was at least trying to make an effort in speaking in front of the three 1sts and not just stand there like a chocobo in headlights. He hoped he'd be able to repay Cloud later for trying so hard, because he could tell he was trying his hardest right about now.

The Commander looked at Cloud and nodded with a smile. "Good to know you don't listen to rumors." He chuckled and looked at Zack, ruffling his hair. "I'm sure you want to continue your weekend. Try and behave yourself and don't get into anymore trouble." He warned, deep blue eyes showing sternness at those words.

He was still a little shaken up after learning Zack had dared cross Hojo and he probably wouldn't be resting well tonight or for many nights after until he was sure Hojo didn't know who had dumped fertilizer all over him and his project.

Sharp, Mako glowing eyes turned to meet Cloud's and he held his gaze evenly. It wasn't everyday a cadet spoke directly to him, especially when he hadn't been directing any comments at them. "And what's your judgment of us, now that you see us with your own eyes?" He questioned.

That might be a little cruel of the General, but he wanted to see how well the cadet would handle that. He seemed to be on the edge of having nerves of steel and ready to faint. He cast a glance between Genesis and Angeal, the corners of his lips twitching just the slightest but otherwise his expression was unreadable as he turned his eyes back on Cloud and awaited an answer.

Genesis knew that tone in his friend's voice. It was easy to read that he was worried about Hojo finding out, even if the assistant said they didn't know. Genesis had tried to hide the identity, but that crazy egghead could easily look up surveillance footage of the hall and see the boys in action. Another thing he was going to take care of once he was alone.

"We could always let it slip that Reno was responsible. Fair wouldn't have known where to dump the load without the Turk cluing him in." And besides, no one could touch a Turk. Not even Hojo. They were safe from any form of revenge he could whip up. He then turned towards Zack and folded his arms. "I hope you appreciate what we do for you. You have no idea what we have planned and you had better find a good way to make it up to us. I don't stick my neck out for just anyone, I hope you know."

He was of course, referring to the upcoming and recently planned SOLDIER First Test, however he wasn't about to let on to what it was to the teen just yet.

Cloud didn't exactly expect that sort of response from the General. He would have been less surprised if he had been run through by Masamune, in fact, he almost preferred that to answering the question. It was those eyes. Cloud wanted to look away, but at the same time he couldn't. It was like being caught in a viper's stare. He felt his fight or flight reflex kick in, but forced himself to stay put. The only movement he expressed was a slight shaking. A combination of fear and rushing adrenaline.

He knew that he had to answer and whatever he said would have a serious impact on him. He was terrified, but he was determined not to mess up. He mentally took a deep breath to calm his nerves as best as he could as he swallowed to reply...

"B-based on such a short meeting, I see that you're all..." Gaia he couldn't do this. He was about to break. He could feel it. His gaze shifted to the others and he just managed to catch Genesis giving him an encouraging wink before he found his voice again. "...that you're all honorable and you take threats and problems seriously no matter how big or small. There's far more than meets the eye and I'm afraid it'll take more than just a first meeting to form a solid opinion on any of you until I learn more about you."

There. He was done. Whether he had impressed them or not was up in the air. All he knew was he didn't dare take a breath.

A slow clapping filled the room then as Genesis nodded his head in approval. "Well isn't that something? It sounds like the kid wants to spend more time with us."

He made his way, slinking in between Angeal and Zack to take the cadet's other shoulder and give his head a gentle pat-pat. "What do you think Seph? Should we invite the young chocobo to our little dinner date? It's the least he deserves for his response. Of course, Zack would have to come too I suppose, to keep the boy from fainting." He cast Zack a teasing glance and an equally joking smirk.

Zack wasn't sure what Genesis meant, but he pouted regardless and unwrapped his arm from Cloud's shoulder to cross them across his chest. "I do! I said I was sorry!" He shook his head at the Commander. It seemed a little unfair since he'd just pulled only one joke on Genesis -and everyone else thought it was funny- and the thing with Hojo, well...

Okay, he did push his luck with that one but the creep deserved it and he knew it made everyone else laugh.

Then suddenly he blinked and pointed an accusing finger at them. "Hey, wait a minute! How'd you know it was me if Hojo doesn't even know?" He asked, gaping. How did they know?

He shook his head ruefully when Cloud actually answered Sephiroth. He could tell the teen was ready to pass out any second from fear and he patted Cloud's back. "Relax." He smiled, though when Genesis suggested Cloud and he come over to some dinner date he perked up. "What dinner date?" He asked, looking between them. "We're game for free food!" He said, though surely it couldn't have been tonight, they'd already had dinner.

Angeal chuckled weakly. He was glad for Zack's puppy attention span, because he'd hate to tell him that they found out about the thing with Hojo through Reno. That could very well start up a pranking war between the two and Shinra may not hold up to those two going at it.

He offered a gentle smile at Cloud. "That's a good answer." He nodded in approval, before looking at Zack. "Seph, Gen and I are gonna have dinner tomorrow evening. I was going to invite you anyway, might as well bring Cloud along." He smiled at the cadet. "If you want to come that is. If you don't want to, no hard feelings Cloud. We'd understand." He shot Genesis a look. The cadet was obviously terrified and Genesis was not helping by trying to get him into coming with them to dinner.

Sephiroth continued to stare at the blonde for several moments before he spoke. "Genesis is right. You should come over tomorrow evening." He said, before he shifted his weight and made to move out of the apartment. Regardless of what Angeal said he'd like to see if Cloud could handle an entire dinner. That could prove entertaining for the General, if nothing else.

"We'll see you at my apartment then. 1930 hours."

The General left the apartment without letting them say otherwise and contradict his orders. He still needed to speak with Tseng tonight and handle a few other matters before bed. But now he had something to look forward to tomorrow evening, and he allowed himself a smirk when he was out of the apartment.

Cloud's heart skipped a beat as the General past by him to make his way out, leaving the cadet's mind a total blank. Sephiroth had invited him to his apartment. Leaving no room for refusal. It was both the greatest and most terrifying thing to ever happen to him.

Genesis chuckled as he looked at Zack. He wasn't about to clue the boy in on that kind of information. He'd have to figure it out for himself. He caught the glance from Angeal and shrugged his shoulders. What was he supposed to do? Stand there and make the poor boy wet his pants? Sephiroth was already doing a good job of that on his own.

However when Sephiroth left the cadet with no other choice he shrugged his shoulders. It was out of his hands now. He made to take his leave as well, but patted the cadet on the shoulder as he went. "I think he likes you." It wasn't very often that Sephiroth would even pay attention to a cadet. It was obvious something in this Cloud Strife had caught the General's interest. Not that Genesis could blame him.

He made his leave and waited outside of the apartment for Angeal. "Take good care of your friend Zack." Were his parting words as he stepped out of sight.

The 2nd Class beamed at the idea of having dinner, and he would definitely drag Cloud along with him. "See you tomorrow then!" He called after the General, flashing a smile. As Genesis left and said to take care of Cloud, the teen saluted half heartedly. "Will do, Commander Fire Pants!" He said, rolling his eyes a bit.

Of course he'd take care of Cloud. He looked at said cadet, smiling a bit and shaking him gently. "Hey, you alright, Spiky?" He asked, taking Cloud and letting him sit on the couch before his legs gave out. He'd never seen someone turn pale then red then pale again so quickly the way he had when speaking with Sephiroth.

Angeal chuckled and nodded, waving his hand. "We'll see you tomorrow." He said before walking out of the apartment and closing the door behind himself. He figured Cloud needed some space that didn't include so many high ranking SOLDIERs, especially the trio. Glancing at Genesis he snorted. "Really, Gen." He said, sighing quietly and shaking his head while he began walking down the hall after Sephiroth.

The Silver General was already waiting at the elevators, to take him to The Investigative Division of General Affairs Department to speak with Tseng over Genesis's situation from Wutai. His eyes flicked to the side when he saw the movement of Genesis and Angeal walking up on him.

Genesis heard the Second's comment as Angeal entered the hall, but chose not to retort. He'd get Zack back for that later during his test. Oh, he'd get him back. When his friend gave him that look he could only shrug his shoulders. "What? So I chose to be a little intimidating. I tried to even it out by helping the kid relax. It's not my fault he don't catch on to my obvious support and comfort. I'm not exactly known for my sympathy."

As he approached Sephiroth from behind he couldn't help the smug grin that tugged at his lips. "So, Seph, not exactly the meeting you thought it'd be, ey? I have to admit that cadet surprised me. I mean, when's the last time anyone under Third Class addressed you directly without needing to change his pants?"

"You're awful at helping people to relax. And threatening to throw him out of SOLDIER over a couple pranks, -most you found hilarious- that was going too far Genesis." He scolded, scowling a bit at his friend. He sighed and shook his head, stepping onto the elevator next to Sephiroth when the doors opened.

This conversation was far from over and he'd have a long talk with Genesis later, but for now he was sorely feeling the effects of a long day. Even SOLDIERs could get weary and he was most certainly feeling that after everything today.

After stepping onto the elevator and pushing the button, Sephiroth glanced at Genesis with a slight nod of his head. "It was interesting, if nothing else." He mused, looking up at the floor numbers as they started moving. "Perhaps we'll see more tomorrow evening."

"Try and behave yourselves." Angeal cut in, smiling wryly at his friends. He had a feeling the two were going to torture the poor cadet in their own ways, so he'd have to be extra vigilant in keeping them behaving.

Genesis let his shoulders droop a bit at his friend's words. "In all honesty, I wasn't trying to hurt the cadet. I was trying to scare some sense into your pupil. Maybe showing that his actions could not only affect himself but others around him. Having someone he recruited to be kicked out because of his poor judgement seemed like a perfectly good lesson to learn. I wasn't going to actually go through with it."

As the Elevator started moving Genesis rolled his eyes. "I'll try, 'Geal, but I make no promises." He glared at Sephiroth's back. He planned to pay him back somehow for telling Zack not to give his collection back until Monday. An entire weekend without Loveless? Oh well. He had wanted to go see the play again anyway. Tomorrow seemed like a good day, after he slept in of course.

"But _you _didn't think of how your actions would not only effect Zack but Cloud, did you?" Angeal scolded, looking at Genesis pointedly. "You're just as bad as Zack when it comes to that aspect. You don't always think." He pinched the bridge of his nose with a grunt.

If he hadn't already been used to how Genesis was before he met Zack, he might have been pulling his hair out with the teen. But Genesis and Zack were similar in a few things, and not all were necessarily good. He chuckled weakly and shook his head. "If you can't promise to behave I'll order Zack to keep your Loveless collection hidden for a week." He said dryly, looking at Genesis with a smug smirk.

Sephiroth didn't hide the chuckle that came from him at their banter. The elevator doors opened for the floor he was going to and he stepped off, glancing back over his shoulder at the two. "I'll call after I speak with Tseng to let you know how it went." He said simply, waving his hand then walking down the hall toward the head Turk's office, leaving his friends behind in the elevator.

Genesis merely shook his head with an 'I-give-up' look. "I never said I was perfect. Besides, the cadet looked like he could use some toughening up. I've seen girls who had more back bone." Cloud's answer to Sephiroth aside, the boy was shaking like a leaf. Any sudden movement could have sent him over the edge. Genesis knew, he had seen many men break down under his own gaze. Especially during the war. Like that one boy he let live because he had fallen back and started crying. He still didn't know what made him let the guy live. Perhaps some of Angeal's honor preaching had rubbed off on him.

Angeal's comment about telling Zack to keep the books for a week snapped him back to the present. "Hey!" He blurted out as if his friend's words had been a physical blow. "You don't see me taking away your goddess-forsaken plant collection, - as much as I would like to."

Genesis nodded as Sephiroth stepped off the elevator.

"And then there were two," He commented aloud after the doors had closed. "So, where are you headed?" Genesis himself was heading for the security room to do some erasing on the footage of any video that showed Zack and Cloud with anything that could clue Hojo in on what had happened.

"I'm going to look over any footage of your charge's escapades and erase them. Care to join me? I plan on watching them before I delete them and I may copy a bit for my own private collection."

He also planned on sending out a little request to his fan clubs. Study Group may be more helpful, but Red Leather had slightly better resources and could get him results faster. Unlike Sephiroth who ignored his fan club or Angeal who merely acknowledge their presence in passing, Genesis wasn't above using their loyalty and devotion to his advantage when he needed to. Tonight was one of those times. Which made him realize...he may need to get a third shelf.

"If you took my plants they'd probably die. Your books will be just fine wherever Zack stashed them, I'm sure." He said wryly, chuckling as he pushed the button for the security room floor. Genesis always had it out for his plants and he'd just as well let them die instead of taking the time to water them and trim them to keep them healthy.

Shaking his head he smiled a bit at Genesis. At least he was thinking of Zack, and he'd certainly go with him to make sure all evidence of his pupil's little adventure today were erased. "Yeah I'll come with you. Besides, how much do you want to bet Hojo will go and try to see for himself?" As much as he trusted his friend's skill, he didn't trust Hojo and didn't want Genesis going alone.

Then he continued after a thought with, "If not erase what happened in the lab." He snorted with laughter at that. "Let's burn a copy of the labs camera for Seph and save it for his birthday." He crossed his arms with a smirk.

Sephiroth was a hard man to buy gifts for, but he knew the General would cherish a video of Hojo being covered with fertilizer for the rest of his life.

**xoxo**

Cloud was grateful for Zack's guidance to the couch, because no sooner had he'd been maneuvered to be standing in front of it did he legs turn to jello and give out. He let out a long jagged breath that could only be described as a sigh of relief after running a hundred laps. When Zack asked him if he was okay he almost laughed at the idea. Who would be okay after an encounter like that? But he couldn't find the words. "D-did that really just happen?"

The teen plopped down next to Cloud with a nervous laugh. "Yeah, it did. Look Cloud, I'm really sorry about that. They wouldn't have really kicked you out, Gen's got an awful sense of humor sometimes. He's morbid like that, and he doesn't know about your dream. I wouldn't have let that happen anyway though."

Zack did feel bad. He'd pulled Cloud along and scared him to death with that. If it had just been him he could have taken it, but of course they decided to wait for them in his apartment. Shaking his head, he rubbed his head and smiled weakly. "I'll make it up to you tomorrow though, promise."

Cloud's mind was slowly starting to work properly again, now that he was slowly coming out of his shock and the presence of three legendary figures were no longer present. "Maybe I spoke out of line...but...but I couldn't just let them blame it all on you. We did all those pranks together. I knew they weren't great ideas, but I still went along with it."

Cloud had been honest with the answer he gave the General. He couldn't judge them by only a first meeting, especially one that was completely out of the blue. Besides, Genesis had confused him. First by threatening to kick him out and then trying to sympathize with him in front of the General? It was...strange to say the least. Angeal was the most relaxing of the three. Offering comfort instead of sheer intimidation or trying to scare ten years off his life.

"Your mentor really is something."

Zack blew out a breath and wrapped an arm around Cloud's shoulder, smiling slightly. "Yeah, but I did drag you with me, and I doubt you'd have said anything with our difference in rank." He ruffled Cloud's hair. "Next time just let me handle it, I'm a big boy, I can take what they dish out. Trust me, I'm used to their sense of humor." He rolled his eyes a bit at Genesis.

But Cloud's comment on Angeal made him beam with happiness. "Told you he's a great guy." He said, leaning back and stretching his lean frame. "You still wanna watch a movie or just head to bed after that?"

He wouldn't blame Cloud if the cadet wanted to just crash, they were going to get up early in the morning for training in the Train Graveyard, and then of course they were going to have dinner at Sephiroth's it seemed, so Cloud would need all the energy he could muster to stay up on his feet through that too.

As much as Cloud wanted to continue his defense for his actions, he just didn't have the energy. He also didn't want to go straight to bed. Not with that encounter so fresh in his mind. "A movie sounds good. What do you have to drink?"

He needed something to calm his frayed nerves and any kind of drink would only help. Water, milk, soda, thought about trying an alcoholic drink, but he wasn't sure of the rules regarding under-aged drinking in SOLDIER compared to how easy-going it was back home. Since the kids growing up near the reactor already had a bit of Mako in their system a light booze couldn't really affect them in small amounts.

The teen beamed and jumped up from his couch. "I got a couple beers in the fridge." He said, walking to his little kitchen and opening the fridge. He figured it wouldn't hurt Cloud to have one, and he himself wouldn't be effected unless he had more than two so he knew he'd be fine and ready to go for the morning.

Grabbing two and opening them, he walked back and handed Cloud his with a wink. "Just don't go around telling anyone. You're still a cadet. When you make SOLDIER you'll have a high tolerance to alcohol and it'll be fine, regardless of your age."

He smiled and turned to look through his movies. "I remember the first time I had a beer with Angeal. 3rd Class and just turned fifteen. Didn't even get a buzz from that first one and it kind of sucked, but Angeal didn't want me puking my brains out the next day so he wouldn't let me have more than two."

He glanced over his shoulder with a wry grin. "Now the time I did get knock down drunk was after I made 2nd Class, with Reno and a few of my other friends. Went bar hopping around the Slums, and they got some seriously strong stuff down there, SOLDIER strength alcohol." He pointed to his pierced ear. "That's where this came from, and a tattoo I got on the back of my shoulder."

The raven haired SOLDIER laughed. "Reno ended up with a couple tats too at the corners of his eyes, red to match his hair." He snickered, the Turk had been so pissed to see where the tattoos were, but ended up being fine with them after a while. After popping in one of his favorite alien movies, he collapsed back on the couch after hitting play. "You okay with aliens?" He asked, motioning to the screen with his beer and a smile on his face.

TBC


	11. Swallowing Pride

Disclaimer: Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- and it's characters (c) Square Enix. Me no own. Just playing with the characters here. ;) Half of this story was done by Shade the Hero. Thanks!

Shade: It really makes me feel good when I see the stats this story has gotten. I never thought it'd be as well liked as it is. Well, I knew it was awesome, but I never thought so many would agree with us. I hope you enjoy this latest update and we'll see you next time. ;)

Bahamut: And a big Happy Valentine's Day from the both of us today! :D We hope you enjoy this update and have a lovely day! Next update should happen in a couple weeks, so stay tuned everyone!

* * *

**Swallowing Pride**

"That's kind of the point," Genesis retorted regarding Angeal's plants. If they died maybe he'd actually be able to relax in his own apartment without a fly swatter or can of bug spray nearby. Genesis gave his friend a toothy grin. "Oh~ I didn't even think about that. We could see his reaction first hand!" When they had seen the aftermath of the incident Genesis had been truly sorry he hadn't been there to see it with his own eyes. Now he could.

The fiery Commander leaned against the back wall as the elevator made it's descent. "You're just full of good ideas tonight, I see. Good then I won't have to buy him that special sword polish for his sword." He probably would still get it for him anyway, but he wanted to wait to see if the General deserved such a nice gift from him until then. Plus it was fun to taunt the General about being nicer to him.

Angeal snorted at his friend. "Remind me to never let you apartment sit while I'm away. At least Zack takes care of my plants for me if I can't." He smiled fondly. Zack had on many occasions done a few things for Angeal when the Commander was called away for emergencies, though as of late the teen had been going with him now that Zack's skill levels had grown.

And then Sephiroth had actually stopped in for him on such times. He wouldn't admit it, but Angeal knew Genesis hadn't tended to his plants and no one else would have dared entering his apartment, let alone the 1sts apartment flooring. Stepping off the elevator when the doors opened, he smirked at Genesis. "If you don't buy it for him I will." He said with a wry chuckle.

Genesis sighed dramatically as he trailed after Angeal. "I don't think that will ever happen, my friend. It seems the President really hates me. Every time he sends me out to Wutai I get the feeling he hopes I don't come back. It's like he's waiting to hear news that I've been killed in action."

His sarcastic expression faded away into something serious, a rare sight for him that he hardly shown unless it came from his heart. "Don't tell Seph that I said this, but...I think if not for him, I wouldn't still be here. I know it has to be him. He's the only one the President won't openly question. I know he's used his power to keep me from getting the boot. I don't know how he does it, I just know he does...and I'm..." Boy he hated admitting this... "I'm grateful for it."

He then glared at Angeal with a searing gaze that could melt metal. "Don't you ever tell another living soul."

The raven haired Commander shook his head with a sigh. "Don't say that Genesis. You know you're a great SOLDIER, it's why you made Commander. Not because of your pretty face." He chuckled, hoping to lighten the mood. Turning his deep blue eyes at his childhood friend though, his features softened. "And I know you'll keep coming back. You wouldn't dare leave me here alone with Sephiroth and Zack."

He stopped in front of the control room that would allow them to erase the video feed from Zack's escapades and make a copy of the labs camera feed. Looking at Genesis then, he smiled and gripped Genesis's shoulder, giving it a good squeeze. "And Sephiroth already knows you're grateful." With that said, he walked into the control room.

Genesis huffed at that. His good looks often got him into far more trouble than anything. "Your words are touching, truly, but you haven't been there for some of the meetings regarding the Wutai missions nor have you seen the looks that dim-witted fool has shot my way when he thinks I'm not looking. I don't doubt my skills, I just doubt the loyalty of the others around here."

As they neared the security room Genesis rolled his eyes at his friend's words about Sephiroth. "I suppose I have been showing him a bit more...what's the right word, lenience? I've tried not to quote Loveless as often, but I won't lie, it's hard."

The other Commander smiled weakly. He already knew the way others looked at Genesis, and it took every patient fiber in his body to not glare them down and strangle them when they got that look and aimed it at Genesis. Shaking his head he looked around the control room and sat down in one of the chairs, looking over the cameras and controls that went to them. "Trust me, I know. But that's why we put our loyalty to Sephiroth, not the President, remember?" He glanced over his shoulder.

It was like an unspoken rule, really. They didn't talk much about it, but when it came down to loyalty Sephiroth held all of SOLDIER's loyalty. The President, however, did not even come close to having the same loyalty of his military. Sephiroth was what kept all the SOLDIERs working for the President.

"Anyway," He looked back at the monitors. "You're being awfully generous there." He said dryly, chuckling and rolling his eyes at Genesis.

Genesis smirked and took the second seat which swiveled a bit. He turned his attention towards the monitors and started looking through the video feed for the correct time.

"Indeed," He replied. It was a very easy choice for him to make if someone asked him who he'd choose to follow. If Sephiroth ever got tired of bowing down to such a small-minded and over-fed man Genesis would gladly follow him out the door no matter where it took them. He was also sure that Angeal would be right beside him and most if not all of their SOLDIERs would be right behind them. Each one of the three brought a different level of respect from those that followed under them. Sephiroth, with his legendary skills and commanding authority, Angeal and his loyalty and the fact that he truly cared for everyone under his command and Genesis with his strategies and mastery of Materia. They truly make a perfect triple threat. Though, he had to admit if Zack were to join their ranks he'd happily change that mental title to an unstoppable force of four.

Something caught his attention during a quick check of the stairwell and when he rewound the footage he couldn't hide the chuckle. "Well, seems we know where to start watching, 'Geal." He pointed to the monitor as he hit play and a head of spiky blonde hair became obvious as the cadet made his way up the stairwell, still in his uniform, but with a duffle bag slug over his shoulder.

Angeal nodded to Genesis with a slight smile. He'd follow Sephiroth anywhere, and as much as Zack wanted to be a hero in SOLDIER he knew the teen would do the same in a heartbeat. None of the Shinra executives, not the President, Heidegger, or Lazard truly commanded SOLDIER. That title was Sephiroth's alone, and he'd certainly earned it.

Rubbing his neck, he looked at the monitor Genesis was viewing with a snort. "I thought the shirt he was wearing looked familiar. Bet Zack made him put it on." He chuckled. The cadet was probably not even thinking of casual wear in the presence of a 2nd Class.

He was reminded of how proud he felt of how Zack stood up for Cloud. Sometimes he forgot the teen was really growing up into a good man. "That was when we were still in the meeting earlier." He grumbled. The 2nd Class had timed it perfectly it seemed, the clever teen.

Genesis nodded as he watched the video of the ascending cadet. Taking note of the time and typing it into the other cameras to follow the boy's movements. He watched as Cloud stopped in front of Zack's door and knocked only to be pulled in a few heartbeats later. He huffed in amusement at the shocked look on the boy's face as he was yanked inside.

"He obviously had no idea what he was getting himself into," He commented. There were no cameras in the SOLDIER's quarters, so Genesis did a little fast forwarding until it showed them emerging, carrying three boxes between them. "Sneaky little punk."

He nodded over to Angeal to begin making a copy of the tape while Genesis waited for the moment to start editing and erasing. Not that he didn't trust Angeal for that, but Genesis had a keen eye for detail and was very good at catching details that others easily missed. "What should the official recollection state? That the boys stayed in Fair's apartment all night? I doubt they went unnoticed and we might have to do damage control should there be any witnesses."

Angeal watched a bit before he started making a copy, shrugging his shoulder a little at Genesis's question. "Zack can't go anywhere without anyone recognizing him. He's too loud and can't sit still for people not to take notice." He chuckled wryly and glanced at the footage.

"We'll just have to see where all they went and who saw them. But I have a feeling we'll be doing a little damage control in the end," He sighed quietly. Honestly, he was starting to believe Zack tried making the Commander go gray with worry and stress. Or at the very least was trying to break Angeal's patience, which he absolutely refused to allow to happen. He'd outlast his student in that department every single time.

Genesis quirked an eye brow. "Just a little?" There was a reason why Genesis was glad Zack was never placed on one of the Reactor patrols. He'd have a feeling the pup would do something to cause an overload, probably just by leaning into a switch or sitting on a control panel. The pup was more accident prone than anyone he had ever met, and coming from him that was saying a lot.

It had taken Genesis years to go from clumsy to graceful, which is partly why Genesis didn't care how he acted in front of others for the most part. This was a perfect chance for Genesis to see where the two had stashed his collection, but as they got off the elevators and onto another floor the cameras lost sight of them and it wasn't until a few minutes later that they were back in the elevators minus three boxes.

"Now what happened to the feed?" Were they hidden on a restricted floor? Impossible, one needed special access to those floors and as a Second, Zack didn't have it yet. It was only then that the two headed for Sephiroth's office next.

Angeal smiled wearily. "Fine, a lot of damage control." He chuckled quietly and looked back to the monitor, frowning when he seen his student and the cadet disappear. "What floor was that?" He asked, leaning back and glancing to make sure the feed was being copied.

"Reno might have done something after we spoke with him to make it up to Zack." He mumbled, scratching his chin before he folded his arms across his chest. But if that had been the case, the Turk would have erased everything, wouldn't he have? "It couldn't have been Hojo. He wouldn't have cared about this portion of the feed." He mumbled, silently thanking Minerva for that little bit. He shook his head and watched as the teens went to Sephiroth's office.

Genesis checked the elevator cam to see which floor they had stopped at and let out a relieved sigh. "Relax, they got off on that Tree-hugger's floor. Reek Soup-ey something." He never really bothered to learn everyone's name who worked in the building, so he gave a nickname to each face he saw to make it easier.

"That guy's always got the cameras on his floor sealed off, the nut job. Guy's got too much time on his hands." Thought he secretly admitted it was a good place to hide his collection.

He watched the video of the duo continue and couldn't help a laugh when he saw the cadet fall backwards. "I wonder if that was the moment when Zack told him whose office that was?" It was pretty amusing to see the cadet get so flustered at Zack only to look relieved when they were leaving.

He watched as the cadet stood at attention and threw a salute when Zack headed back to the desk. "Pfft, just another 'good soldier'. Great. Just what we need." He looked over at Angeal. "I swear, if I hadn't seen him stand up to Seph with my own eyes I would have called him a total wuss. I mean look at him. Sweating bullets just by standing in his office? I've seen girls who were tougher."

"Reeve Tuesti." Angeal corrected, rolling his eyes a bit at Genesis. He knew Reeve well, they had a lot in common when it came to plants and such, and he just generally liked the laid back executive. Of course Genesis never bothered to get to know him, which was sad when Reeve was a good man to have as a friend.

"It's not his fault Shinra doesn't really use his skills." He said, shaking his head and looking at Genesis. "You're not going after your collection. You remember Seph's order." He teased, a smirk tugging at his lips. His friend may know the floor his books were left, but he still couldn't get to them without invoking the General's wrath.

Looking back at the monitors after he checked to make sure everything was recording still, he chuckled weakly. Cloud did seem a bit skittish, but he didn't blame him. All cadets had been scared of Sephiroth when they first joined. "Be nice Gen. It's obvious he's not used to being around higher ranked SOLDIERs, and Sephiroth does have that effect on people." He mused with a light chuckle.

He felt bad for the teen, for getting dragged into Zack's pranks and then dinner with all of them tomorrow night. He hoped Cloud would be okay though with Zack there. It was obvious to him he had an admiration for the 2nd Class.

Genesis glared at Angeal. Yes, he remembered the General's order all too well, and the only reason he was obeying it was because of what Sephiroth was doing for him.

He couldn't help but roll his eyes when Angela was telling him, _HIM_ to be nice. Honestly, why should he be nice? This was SOLDIER, not some support group where everyone had to walk on egg shells. If you couldn't take the pressure, be it physical, mental or emotional then too bad. You either dealt with it, went home or died on the battle field. There was no room for kindness here. At least, that's how it had been for Genesis. Aside from Angeal and Sephiroth everyone else here was a total prick and not worth his time. The only one who had recently joined the very small list of people he liked was Zack.

Speaking of which he turned his attention back to the monitor as he watched Zack and his little shadow head down the elevator. Another camera to the side showed that was when Genesis and the other two were standing in front of the elevator doors.

"So, they were the reason I had to take he stairs?!" Though, now that Genesis had thought about it, it was better that way. The stairwell he had taken had no security of any kind as it was a secret staircase known only to SOLDIER Firsts and a select few others. Damn. He wanted to be mad at Zack for that.

He watched them head across the lobby and over to the shed behind the cadet barracks only to emerge with a bag of fertilizer and a bucket. "Aha, here we go." He watched them head over to the water hose so Zack could fill up the bucket and was a little impressed that the cadet was carrying the heavy bag. Whether he had offered or the pup made him carry it was another story.

**xoxo**

Cloud accepted the bottle with a nod. "I won't tell if you won't." He took a small swig and wiped his mouth with his wrist as Zack headed over to sift through his movie collection. The drink didn't taste half bad. It had more of a sharper taste than the Nibelheim brew he had tried once which was sweeter, but it did the trick none the less.

He leaned back as he listened to Zack talk about his experience with drinking and smirked at the idea of Zack getting such things done while under the influence. He had often heard the other cadets in his bunk talking about what kind of marks they'd get. One foolish teen had gotten his ahead of time, a snake that coiled around his wrist and up his arm. Boy was he bummed when a Third told him that Mako would erase it. Cloud just shrugged in indifference. It wasn't his fault the guy had blown all of his Birthday Gil for nothing.

Cloud wasn't really one for tattoos, but a piercing...that sounded about right. "I like wolves," He blurted out before taking another swig. "I was thinking about getting a Wolf stud once I saved up some more."

When Zack returned to the couch Cloud shrugged his shoulders. "I don't mind them." He wasn't about to tell him he had never seen an alien movie, but tonight had been full of new things and surprises, so what was one more?

Cloud's sudden confession of liking wolves and thinking about eventually getting a wolf stud made Zack perk up, and his eyes lit up. "Yeah?" He beamed at the cadet. He decided to file that information away in his mind for a later date.

"Angeal had been pretty mad when I showed up with a piercing and a tat the next day," He said with a wry grin. "But I just told him 'at least I didn't get a piercing like Gen's and a copy of Loveless!'" He laughed at the memory of the look that crossed Angeal's face at the time. "He wasn't so mad after that!" He grinned and sniggered at the thought.

"I'll have to take you to the good tattoo shops, wouldn't want ya getting an infection from some of the seedier places around." Zack smiled at the blonde before he leaned back and looked to the TV. "You'll like this movie, lot's of action and it's got a decent ending." He said, taking a long swig of his own beer as the movie started up.

Cloud tried to imagine that event for himself. He could picture an annoyed Angeal with his arms crossed and shaking his head as Zack happily showed off his tattoo...like a puppy who had fetched a tennis ball and retrieved it for another throw.

That last image make him choke a little on his beer as he tried to fight back a laugh. It made Cloud wonder though, if Zack was like a puppy, then what did that make Cloud? Except for his hair, he wasn't really like a chocobo. They were tall and loud and assertive when they wanted something. Cloud was...well he was only one of those things and tall and loud wasn't it. Perhaps he was like a stray cat. His claws were sharp, but he kept them retracted for the most part. He could also show an equal share of fear and curiosity. He hoped this sudden mindset wasn't a result of the booze going straight to his head.

When Zack suggested showing him the good, reliable shops Cloud hummed a response as he took another swig, his reply echoing into the bottle in a muffled way.

He smirked slightly at the idea of a lot of action. No movie could top the action he had experienced today. It had been suspenseful, exciting and terrifying all wrapped up into one. But it had been worth it. He had met his hero, seemed to have been noticed, caught the attention of the other Firsts and became friends with the most interesting SOLDIER in the entire complex. Zack had proven he was a loyal friend. He could have let Cloud take some of the fall, but no, he pulled him to the side and took the brunt of the blame. Not many would do that, he guessed and in fact, from what he had seen, no one else here was even capable of such a gesture and for that, Cloud was grateful.

"So worth it..."

Zack blinked at Cloud, a bit surprised he randomly spoke up out of the blue. "What's worth it?" He asked, raising a raven brow at him. Perhaps the beer was too much for the cadet, and he couldn't help but snigger. "Do I need to take that beer from you?" He joked, nudging Cloud in the ribs.

But Cloud seemed happy and Zack liked this side of him, so he supposed he'd let the cadet keep the beer. Just make sure he didn't have another and make him work double time to make up for it tomorrow. He laughed a little and took another drink of his own beer. He kind of missed the days when alcohol would effect him with just one drink, before the Mako. But being in SOLDIER was so much more worth than a few fun hours of drunken antics, and far more worth the next mornings full of headaches and vomit.

Grinning, he stretched his arms across the back of the couch and turned his attention to the movie. "Try not to get too drunk, we're still going training tomorrow morning. 0530 hours." And he was being generous with the extra thirty minutes, but that was just because it was the weekend.

By the time they'd be in the Train Graveyard it would probably be around six or six-thirty anyway.

Cloud smirked and shook his head. "Nothing." He couldn't help but give Zack a skeptical look when he mentioned taking away the beer. How much of a lightweight did he think Cloud was? He had only had a couple of swigs. It would take a bit more than that.

"This ain't my first rodeo," He told him, letting his native Nibelheim accent shine through. He always liked the looks he'd get when he did that. It was kind of funny the way people would tilt their heads. Cloud would just shrug and smirk, knowing that they realized that there was more to him than meets the eye. He had plenty of surprises and secrets of his own. But they only surfaced when he chose to let them.

"Lucky for you, I'm an early riser."

Zack couldn't contain the grin that broke out across his face at the sound of Cloud's thick Nibelheim accent. He was surprised he could keep it hidden so well and wondered how long it took him to be able to do that. It took him a good year practicing before he joined SOLDIER to tuck away his own accent.

"Good thing 'cause you're not gonna get any mercy from me when ya become my student!" He replied the cadet, his Gongaga accent thick. He didn't let it slip much but he'd managed to surprise Sephiroth once -which had been priceless- but he figured he owed Cloud at least that much after hearing his own. He had to admit it almost felt strange not using the accent he'd adapted for years.

Cloud choked a bit on his beer as he turned to look right at his friend. Where the heck had_ that _come from? It wasn't the reaction he was expecting that was for sure, but even more surprising was, it sounded like Zack's accent was thicker than his. "Are you trying to out-country me?" It sounded a bit different, but there was no mistaking the twang in his words. But, there was no way Zack had lived near Nibelheim or Cloud was pretty sure he would have heard about a crazy kid like him growing up.

He then decided there was one way to find out more. Act smug. "Pfft, what was I thinking? You couldn't get anymore country than Nibelheim." He took another swig and watched Zack from the corner of his eye.

The 2nd Class scoffed and waved his beer in front of Cloud's face. "Try Gongaga. Nibelheim ain't the only place with a reactor ya know, and they only ever place reactors in backwater areas." He grinned. It was kind of funny hearing his own accent in his ears, but he couldn't say he really missed it that much.

It had definitely surprised a lot of people when they found out where he was actually from, -and he really wasn't trying to hide it like Genesis whom generally didn't talk about being country-born and raised in Banora- but Gongaga was such a backwater little village people either didn't know about it or didn't think anyone would come so far as Midgar.

"You got your cold mountains, but we Gongagans have our dense forests. And it can get pretty damn hot down there too, 'specially in the summer." He said, talking with his accent like he had all his life. He cleared his throat and shook his head though, more than happy to use his adopted accent. "You're not the only backwater boy in Midgar." He teased, eyes flashing in amusement.

"Gongaga, ey?" Well, that explained a lot. Cloud had heard of that place before. During his first week of classes when the cadets had been taught where all of the reactors were. It was pretty far south on the map. "Pfft, don't think it's any easier where I'm from just because of a little summer heat. Live through just one winter in the Nibel Mountains and_ then _you can boast about surviving extreme temperatures."

Cloud remembered being stuck in one such blizzard and the thought alone made him shake his head at the memory. He was lucky to have survived that year and almost lost his leg to frostbite, thankfully someone in town had a cure on hand. No one in town really liked him, but they weren't so heartless as to let him suffer either. Which, surprised him actually. Only the mayor and a small handful seemed to really hate him enough to not care if he lived or died, but the majority just tolerated him.

Thinking about them left a bad taste in his mouth and probably a sour look on his face. He took a good-sized chug in the hopes of forcing them from his mind.

Zack elbowed Cloud in the ribs playfully. "Guess I'll have to head up there next winter then so I can boast all I want!" He laughed, grinning mischievously at the teen. "I bet you'd melt into a puddle of blonde hair during summer in Gongaga! Midgar gets hot, yeah, but it's nothing compared to the thick forests. With those trees all around, it's like a jungle oven that traps the heat."

Which was why the heat in Midgar never bothered him. It was downright cool at night compared to Gongaga. But he loved his home regardless, heat and all. He couldn't wait to make 1st Class and return home, the first person in Gongaga's history to make 1st Class SOLDIER.

Though technically he's the first to make SOLDIER in general, since most didn't even leave the little village to begin with. "I think if we stayed at each other's places during their best weather, we'll be unstoppable in the field when weather is involved!" He laughed.

Zack's little jab forced half of Cloud's drink to flow down the wrong way mid-swallow causing him to choke. He lurched forward, trying to regain the ability to breathe. It took a moment or two, but when he was able to take a decent breath and his lips were no longer turning blue he chuckled a bit at Zack's suggestion.

"Why don't we make it into a test of endurance? But we'll save it until after you make First and keep your promise. Then we'll just make it a long-term camping trip. You take me to survive a summer in Gongaga and I'll take you to Nibelheim to see if you can handle my home turf in winter. Hopefully by then we'll both have Mako and it'll be a bit less treacherous."

The teen patted Cloud's back, smiling apologetically about making him choke. But at Cloud's suggestion to make it into a test of endurance he grinned eagerly; having completely forgotten about the movie and just making Cloud choke. "You're on!" He said, eyes seemingly glowing with excitement. That would be a great way for them to get used to being mentor and student, too.

He remembered when Angeal had taken him out a few times like that, testing his skills and getting to better know each other. It had been a blast, and being able to go through it with Cloud as his student this time made the 2nd Class just beam with excitement. "After you make SOLDIER and I make 1st Class, we'll make it our first real training mission together as student and mentor!" He said, ruffling the cadet's hair.

"If I survive 'til then," Cloud rasped as the beer burned his trachea. He tried to clear his throat a few times to finally get rid of the urge to start coughing again. He looked up at the movie and blinked as he watched a ten foot alien bug rip a man in half and wondered what was happening since the plot had been lost to him during their chat and his almost drowning.

He looked down at what was left of his beer and saw there were only a few drops left before shrugging. "Why don't we just call it a night? Five thirty comes around pretty early." And seeing as it was after eleven meant about six hours of sleep if he was lucky. Cloud valued this bonding time with the SOLDIER, but he also valued his sleep.

He opened his mouth to yawn, to help prove his point when a loud belch erupted instead, taking him by surprise. He honestly did not feel that coming.

The 2nd Class laughed at Cloud's sudden belch, which was surprisingly loud that didn't fit with the teen's appearance. "Nice one." He grinned before he downed his own beer and tossed their empty bottles away in the near by trash can. "Well tomorrow we're gonna toughen you up so you will survive!" Zack said, jumping up to his feet and tugging the teen up with him. "Don't worry, you'll become a SOLDIER in no time, especially with me helping ya!" He said, clapping the cadet on his back.

He turned around and turned off the TV, letting the movie just run until the end. "You can take the bed. Gonna shower before bed myself though." He said, rummaging through his clothing around the floor to find something clean to sleep in.

He settled on just a pair of boxers that he thought were clean and went into his little bathroom -which only had a shower, sink, and toilet and not even big enough for two people to stand in- and turned his shower on. If they were getting up early, he wouldn't have time to shower. Plus he wanted to do a couple things first before waking the cadet up for their day of training.

Cloud innocently shrugged at the compliment. It wasn't like he was trying after all. "If you don't mind," He replied when Zack suggested he take the bed. Cloud honestly didn't mind the couch, but wouldn't refuse an offer to sleep on a bed with an actual mattress.

As Zack made his way towards the bathroom Cloud bid him goodnight as he went to retrieve his uniform top from the floor near the couch and then headed over for his duffle bag. Taking it into Zack's bedroom, he pulled out a pair of thin, sleeping pants. Taking off the shirt Zack let him borrow he then removed his dirty cadet pants which were still slightly damp at the bottom.

"Heh," He huffed with a smirk as he thought back to earlier. He wondered what had gone through the other cadet's minds when Cloud ordered Zack to do push-ups. He'd probably find out sooner or later, but for now he'd just enjoy the memory. Pulling off his socks and stuffing them into the plastic bag with his other dirty clothes he tied it back up and stuck it back in his pack before he stretched, trying to pop his back before falling chest first onto the SOLDIER's bed.

Suddenly his resolve to become a SOLDIER only grew stronger. Sure the mattress wasn't anything special, but after sleeping on rock hard bunks with rusty springs Zack's bed felt like he was laying on a fluffy white cloud.

Cloud huffed at the inside joke as he pulled the sheet over him and started drifting off to sleep. Tomorrow worried him a bit, what with the training and the dinner date with the First Class SOLDIERs, but he decided not to worry about it now. Tomorrow would take care of itself and besides, it was pretty much out of Cloud's hands.

With that cheerful thought in mind, Cloud finally drifted off to sleep.

TBC


	12. Video Evidence

Disclaimer: Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- and it's characters (c) Square Enix. Me no own. Just playing with the characters here. ;) Half of this story was done by Shade the Hero. Thanks!

Bahamut: OMG I want to start off by saying just how sorry I am I kind of dropped off the face the earth! This is all on me, this year has been kind of crazy for me, and updating my fanfiction wasn't a priority on my list. I still have some stuff going on, but Shade contacted me here the last couple days. Needless to say, I've been kicked in the butt and here's an update for everyone! There will be another update "hopefully" next weekend to try and make up for my slacking. Again, so super sorry!

Shade: Just remember I'm good at kicking butts. ;) lol, j/k Everything's cool. We are sorry for the lack of updates, but just know that if we don't update we have good reasons. That being said it's nice to bring out another chapter for this story that so many seem to enjoy. Thanks for the continued support guys. You're all awesome!

* * *

**Video Evidence**

Zack was in and out of the shower in minutes, and was towel drying his hair when he walked out in his boxers and looking at Cloud. The poor cadet was already fast asleep it seemed, and he grinned a bit at the sight. He looked like a chocobo sleeping, and he had to fight off laughter to keep from waking him up.

He'd let him sleep because in a few hours they'd be up and heading to the Train Graveyard in the Slums.

Smiling at the thought he picked a blanket up off the floor along with a pillow then headed into the living room, plopping down on his worn couch with a groan of satisfaction. Tomorrow would be an awesome day, he just had a gut feeling. Especially after the day they had today, even if that little scare tactic from the 1sts had rattled him and the cadet a bit earlier.

He'd have to think of a way to pay them back, but for now he'd get some much needed sleep.

**xoxo**

"You wanted to take the stairs anyway, so stop your complaining." Angeal chuckled at Genesis and shook his head. Honestly, Genesis found the smallest of things to complain about sometimes, and he was just moody because Sephiroth had made Zack keep the Commander's Loveless collection away for the weekend.

Looking at the screen, he rubbed his face. "And this is what we'll need to be erasing after it's copied." He said, watching his student and the cadet on the screen. He didn't know what they were talking about the entire time, but he wasn't sure he even wanted to know that. He was about to check the recording to make sure it was still doing just that when he seen Zack soak the cadet's pants, and he tilted his head in curiosity.

Zack was clumsy, sure, but that didn't quite look like an accident to the Commander's trained eyes. And then the look that crossed the cadet's face made him lean forward, trying to get a better view. "What's with that look on his face?" He asked aloud, more to himself than Genesis really.

He wasn't sure about it, but it looked like Cloud was giving him an order? And that's when Zack had the expression like he'd just stepped on Sephiroth's foot before dropping and starting push ups. "What on Gaia is going on there?"

Genesis waved a dismissive hand at him. "Details, details. Think of the look on their faces if the doors had opened up and they were forced to face the three of us right then and there." True, Genesis wasn't in the best of moods at that moment, but it still would have been amusing.

Genesis blinked and squinted his eyes a bit at the look on the boy's face. Was that...n'aw it couldn't be. But it_ was_! It was an honest to goodness impression of Sephiroth's infamous glare! He watched Cloud point down to the ground and raised an eye brow when Zack hit the dirt and started doing push-ups. He seriously had no idea what was going on between the two until his enhanced eye-sight spotted the cadet looking over at a nearby building.

Bringing up another camera angle he couldn't hold back his reaction. "Ahh~ Clever. Very clever." He paused the footage of the side image he caught and turned towards Angeal. "It seems our little cadet is having trouble with his peers...or perhaps, he _was_. The issue may very well be resolved after your pupil's protective actions."

The angle had captured the shocked looks on the other cadets faces. Genesis knew what was going on without being told. After all, a similar thing had happened to him when he was a kid. Genesis remembered being picked on once back in Banora, however that all changed when a gruff-looking kid showed up chucking Dumb Apples at the others. That was the day he and Angeal had become friends.

Genesis then hit play and matched the side camera with the one they were recording from and the moment the other cadets left, the young blonde fell back, looking stunned. They watched the two get up and head back inside.

"Well, it seems we'll have to make sure to keep an eye on any cadet gossip." Genesis loathed watching cadets. They were boring and pretty useless with hardly any talent. Most never made Third Class and ended up in the regular army instead or as Genesis fondly dubbed them, 'cannon fodder'.

Angeal couldn't help but facepalm, only his student would go to such lengths to help a friend like that. A cadet ordering a 2nd Class had to have been a true shock to anyone who was witness, and of course word would go flying through Shinra faster than Reno's helicopter.

He chuckled wearily and looked back to the screen. "That's my pup." He said, running a hand through his jet black hair. "There's no doubt already word going around about that one Gen." He said, smiling wryly at his friend. He knew Genesis couldn't stand watching cadets and found them useless, but Angeal knew that at one point, they'd been cadets too.

Looking at the screen again, he snorted. He didn't think anyone could mimic Sephiroth's glare, but that little cadet had done a fine job of it. Almost scary, really. "We'll have to show Sephiroth that one. He won't believe it unless he sees it for himself." He laughed quietly. Sephiroth would no doubt get a kick out of seeing Cloud looking so... Sephiroth-like.

Shaking his head ruefully, he scrubbed a hand over his face and continued watching his student's escapade. No doubt people questioned what he had been doing walking around Shinra with a bag of fertilizer and a bucket of water. "Only Zack..." He sighed quietly. Looks like they were going to be busy tomorrow before that dinner at Sephiroth's. "At least you'll have something to do to keep your mind off Loveless?" He said with a wry grin aimed at his friend as he patted Genesis's back.

Genesis huffed with a smirk. He could just imagine the look on the General's face when he saw the boy try to imitate him. "If your pup's not careful Sephiroth might take the kid as his pupil before he gets a chance to." He hoped Zack or Angeal would get the cadet. Gaia couldn't handle two Sephiroths let alone Midgar.

The door to the security room hissed open and Genesis glanced at it, expecting to see silver hair when a red-headed Turk came in instead. "Oh~ So this is where you guys were." He strolled in like it was his own place and leaned against the back of Angeal's chair, knowing better than to try it with Genesis.

"What do you want, Turk? This is SOLDIER business."

"Mhm, I see that," Reno replied with a knowing smirk. "I just thought you two would like to know that Hojo paid our little department a visit a little while ago and he was looking pret-ty peeved."

Genesis sighed before sending a look towards his friend. This was not good. "What did he want?"

Reno pulled out his electric-mag rod and tapped it against his shoulder casually. "He wanted to speak to Tseng, but I told 'im to wait because he's still in a meeting with General Silver Pants. Should've seen the look on his face when I dissed the head of SOLDIER. He turned so red, it was hilarious." He snorted with amusement.

Genesis let out a low growl, signalling that he was quickly losing patience. "Angeal..." That was a silent warning that said he was about to do something very violent if the Turk didn't get to the point.

"Zack would fight him tooth and nail over that one, and I don't think Cloud could handle being Sephiroth's pupil. I don't think he could keep his nerve from crumbling long enough." He chuckled at the thought and shook his head. It was obvious Zack already showed favor to the teen, and the idea of his student taking a student of his own on made him proud.

When the door opened and he seen Reno, he knew it couldn't be good. Either because Reno was bearing bad news or because Genesis would end up trying to fry him. But hearing that Hojo wanted to speak with Tseng? That concerned the Commander. He couldn't remember the last time he knew Hojo actually contacting the Turks for something, which meant he was probably on the warpath after Zack's little prank.

Turning around in the chair, he narrowed his deep Mako glowing blue eyes at the Turk. "Unless you want Genesis to set you on fire -and in case you couldn't tell, he's always tempted to do so anyway- you'll get to the point, Reno. And quickly." He said calmly, but in the tone he used when giving 2nds orders.

He wanted to know what Reno had to say before his friend had a chance in toasting the Turk. Reno might have been one of the best Turks Shinra has had, but he wouldn't be able to compete with Genesis's mastered Fire Materia.

Reno nodded with a sarcastic salute. "Sure thing, Zack Senior."

Genesis tried very hard not to laugh. He still wanted to hate the Turk, but he had to admit it was funny. Angeal and Zack did look a bit alike and this hadn't been the first time it had been mentioned of them looking like they were related.

The Turk did a quick glance of the room, carefully noting everything that was going on before answering. "It was because of what Zack did. Hojo wanted Tseng to find out who was responsible and then have the culprit sent down to his labs so he could deal with him personally."

His smug expression sobered a bit and for once he looked serious and a bit concerned. "I think we all know how that guy deals punishment." Reno was a Turk through and through and loyalty was everything to them. If a Turk considered you his friend, you had a friend for life and Zack had one such friend in Reno.

"I told him that I'd check the security tapes and see if it managed to catch anything." He then smirked at the SOLDIERs, already knowing what they were doing and gave them a knowing smirk. "So, hurry up and finish what you were doing so I can have my turn and put the professor's worries to rest."

He knew that they were erasing evidence which meant there was something on tape. He was just glad that they had gotten here before Hojo had.

Genesis turned to Angeal and shook his head. "I think we may have to put the cadet under our protective watch for a while. Perhaps bunk him with Zack in a bigger apartment until this whole mess cools down. It'd be too easy for Hojo to get his hands on the cadet in the barracks." Not to mention he wouldn't be surprised if any of the cadets to see him would more than likely sell him out. Genesis knew that cadets had very little loyalty and too much jealousy.

The Commander huffed at the title and he shot a glare at his friend to keep him quiet. It annoyed him when Reno called him that and Genesis knew it. Shaking his head he looked to Reno, a frown crossing his face when the Turk explained what Hojo had wanted. He wasn't surprised, but he was angry at the professor.

Angeal wasn't really an angry or even violent man honestly, he left that to Genesis because Gaia knows his best friend had enough violence in him to make up for Angeal's pacifist self. Outside of battle, Angeal was actually pretty peaceful. But when he did become angry, it wasn't a violent anger. It was like a calm before the storm, and few men got the chance of seeing that side of him and actually live to talk about it. Hojo was _this _close to witnessing that side of the Commander, if he got too close to Zack.

He turned back to look at the monitors, making sure the tapes were still being recorded. "We might be able to get away with moving Cloud, especially since Zack's taken an interest in him. But if we moved them both? It would raise suspicions, especially with how close Zack is to becoming a 1st Class."

He sighed and rubbed his face. "Zack will keep a close eye on Cloud, I can already tell it's going to be hard to separate those two. We'll push for the 1st Class exam, get him promoted and then he'll have an apartment on our floor. Aside from the Turks floor, there isn't a safer floor in Shinra to be on than that one."

He shot a look back at Reno. "And I expect you to pretend you didn't hear anything about Zack getting promoted sooner rather than later. Unless you want to deal with Genesis by yourself." He said coolly, a slight smirk tugging at the corners of his lips.

Having grown up in the Slums, Reno was one tough punk and not much scared him, but that look from Commander Hewley was enough to make his skin crawl. Even though he loved trying the patience of the Firsts, he respected them for their skills and had seen some of their moves in action. Reno hadn't seen Angeal unleash his inner wrath personally, but Tseng had warned him about it once. Tseng didn't scare easily, but it was almost as if there was a fearful respect for the dark-haired Commander when it came to certain matters. Reno could understand why Tseng was nervous about the topic now.

But when mention of Zack's promotion reached his ears Reno couldn't help but beam. "You know that's going to be hard to keep from him. Not only is that guy brighter than he looks, but that's what he's been wanting to hear ever since he came to this town. I don't know if Midgar is ready for First Class Zack Fair."

Genesis rolled his eyes. "Pu-lease, if it can survive the promotion of the original three I'm sure an energetic pup will be no different."

"You sure 'bout that?" Asked Reno "I mean, I still don't see a Loveless book in your hand. Haven't been able to find where he stashed your collection, have ya?"

Genesis stood then and glared pure hatred at the Turk. "You wanna see what's in my hand?" And just like that the Fire Materia appeared and his right fist ignited.

Reno prepared to raise his weapon to defend when a rumbling sound echoed on the monitors followed by a loud gasp.

The two froze in place, turning only their heads to look at the monitors and saw a professor covered in fertilizer.

Angeal was about to stand up and smack them both upside the head to make them back off but he spun in the chair to look at the monitors instead, eyes widening a little to see Hojo covered in fertilizer on the camera. He couldn't quite contain the laughter that erupted from him after seeing that. Zack was a genius, he really was. And this was proof. His student had perfect aim, and the fertilizer had covered Hojo completely.

Then the bucket of water splashed down onto him just seconds after, and it didn't serve to clean him but make the whole mess even worse. He'd never seen Hojo look so enraged and surprised at the same time. It was unnerving and hilarious in the same sense. "Goddess..." He bit his fist to keep from laughing too hard. This was definitely what they had to give Sephiroth for his birthday, he would absolutely love this video.

In a few short seconds, Reno and Genesis had gone from battle-ready to doubling over in hysterics. The Turk slapping the back of Angeal's chair, while at the same time using it to hold himself up and The First Class SOLDIER hugging his sides and fighting the tears that were falling from his eyes.

The SOLDIER recovered first. "That!" He gasped, "is the greatest thing I've ever seen! Hahahahaha! I take it back, 'Geal, you couldn't have picked a better student!"

It took everything Reno had not to fall to the floor. "I swear, when Zack asked me where Hojo's new project was, I had no idea it'd lead to this!" He snorted and burst into another fit of laughter which brought on a bout of hiccups.

Genesis took a deep breath and finally managed to tame his laughter when Hojo regained the ability to speak.

_"I DEMAND TO KNOW WHOSE RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS!"_

And cue another fit of laughter.

Genesis scanned the other monitors to see where the trouble-making duo vanished too. Like the smart, sensible person he hoped Zack was, he had wisely gotten the heck outta dodge and he and Cloud had retreated to the elevators.

Angeal had no idea why Zack had planned this, -and apparently Reno really didn't know what he'd planned for Hojo's project either- but he couldn't help but laugh at what he saw. Hojo was soaking wet with messy fertilizer and now the smell they had been met with in the labs only made the Commander laugh more.

Biting down on his fist again to calm himself -unlike a certain Turk and his friend whom had no control- Angeal sniggered and smiled wryly. He was glad to see his student had been smart and took Cloud away from the scene of the crime as quickly as possible.

"At least now you know Zack means well enough." He said to Genesis, a slight smirk aimed at his friend. He shook his head though. "Gaia, Zack..." He rubbed his face with a wry grin. His student really had done it this time. They were definitely going to be erasing this footage, and only Sephiroth would be holding a copy.

He knew Sephiroth would never let Hojo get his hands on it so it would be the safest place, next to being destroyed completely. He didn't know if his student had been incredibly brilliant for thinking this whole thing up, or incredibly stupid. But from that look on Hojo's face, he was leaning more towards brilliant. It was simply priceless.

"Alright, alright." He waved his hand to try and calm himself and the other two in the room down. "Just remember why we're here." He said, glancing at the two pointedly. He didn't doubt they already forgot they were here for the safety of Zack and Cloud as well.

Genesis took a deep breath which finally managed to chase away the urge to laugh as he shook his head. "I'm glad we confronted him first before seeing this. I don't think I could have pulled it off with a straight face otherwise."

Reno pouted a bit hearing that, "Aww you went to jump him for that and didn't invite me?"

"You were busy. Filling out paperwork if I recall," The SOLDIER retorted, looking smug and was very glad the Turk hadn't been there.

Reno chose to ignore that comment, but he couldn't help one last chuckle at the incident. Oh he'd treasure that image of Hojo for the rest of his life. "Zack may have to try something more than a mud bath to cure the professor of those ugly wrinkles. But at least he improved the smell a bit."

The rest of the video wasn't much. It showed Zack and the cadet leaving and then returned some-time later. Both looked a bit subdued, perhaps having gone to get something to eat or just hung around the city. Genesis noted that it didn't look like Zack had been up to any more mischief which meant that the stunt with Hojo must've been the big finale.

"I think that's about it for the cover up. We could simply say the cadet went back to the barracks to retrieve something he forgot and then the two went out to town after that." He looked over to his friend, "What do you think, Angeal? You think people will buy it?"

Angeal snorted quietly. "Don't go giving Zack any ideas, Reno." He warned, looking at the Turk then. The last thing he needed was for Zack to try something even more daring than covering the scientist in fertilizer and ruining his current project.

Shaking his head he looked at the monitors again, taking the disk that had the copied video feed out and putting in a case. He started the process of erasing everything that had Zack and Cloud doing anything other than leaving the building and returning later. "I'm not sure. Probably, but we still need to do damage control with the cadets that seen Zack and Cloud carrying that water and fertilizer."

Hojo would no doubt want to interrogate people that might would have witnessed that, but he hoped they could keep it under control and scare any possible witnesses worse than Hojo could. Cadets didn't know the man well enough, but they did know the 1sts, so that wouldn't be a far stretch at any rate.

Handing the disk off to Genesis, he looked at the two with a snort. "I think we'll be able to manage well enough though. I don't think Hojo will find out it was Zack or Cloud that was involved." He looked at Reno pointedly. "Right?"

Genesis spun his mastered Fire Materia on the tip of his finger as an athlete would a basketball as he gave his friend a knowing look. "All cadets fear my fire power. I think I have that covered. You just leave the cadets to me."

Reno rolled his eyes as he watched Genesis accept the disc and then blinked when Angeal gave him a look. "Pfft, you obviously don't know the Turk code. We never betray our friends. Ever. If Hojo ever learns the truth, it won't be from me. I can't say the same for that cadet though. Hojo will want some kind of answer."

In a flash Genesis had grabbed the Turk by his collar and lifted him off the ground, putting his face barely two inches from his own. "Now you listen to me. If you're Zack's friend as you claim, then you won't do anything to endanger the cadet. Fair has already taken him under his wing and if I hear even a rumor that you so much as handed that cadet's identity to the professor the Turks will be down one member."

Reno tried very hard not to show his fear, but being this close Genesis could clearly see it in his eyes. The Turk gulped as he held out his hands submissively. "Alright, alright, ease up! I won't go spillin' the cadet's name."

Genesis's glare intensified. "I said his identity. That means a physical description as well."

Angeal vaguely wondered if there was such code. Did Turks put their friends so high in loyalty? He shook his head and rolled his eyes a bit at his friend as well. Cadets did indeed fear the Commander, and for good reason. "The cadets are all yours." He chuckled.

The Commander didn't feel the need to interfere in this one when Genesis had grabbed Reno off the ground. "Gen's right. Zack's put his friendship and loyalty into this cadet. If you really follow that code you were just talking about, then you wouldn't want to hurt Zack by betraying one of his friends."

Reno was a troublemaker, but it was obvious he and Zack were friends. One of the strangest relationships, really, and he didn't know how the two had gotten such a strong bond. As much as Angeal didn't mind Tseng, he doubted he or even Sephiroth held any of the Turks in such high regard as such close friends and vice versa.

But Zack was so much different, and seemed to be able to get friendships with anyone. There was just a charm the teen had that no one else could hold onto after years of being in SOLDIER. Looking at the monitors when they alerted that the feed had all been erased, Angeal started to check it over just to make sure. "Don't kill him Gen. I think he gets it." He said over his shoulder with a low chuckle.

Reno blinked at Genesis, "Sooo, you gonna put me down?"

The SOLDIER sent one last death glare through the Turk before he obliged, by shoving him back, not caring that the Turk's back hit the wall. "The only reason you're still breathing is because Zack would be devastated to lose any of his friends, though what he sees in you is beyond me."

He pinched the bridge of his nose as fatigue started setting in. He still hadn't gotten any rest since he returned from Wutai earlier that afternoon and this whole event had used up the last of his energy. "I'll take care of the cadets in the morning." And with that Genesis Rhapsodos made his grand exit, leaving Angeal to finish things and knowing he could handle it correctly.

Reno rubbed the back of his head from where it collided with the wall. "Sheesh, what's got him so worked up?"

"SOLDIER business." Angeal replied the redhead simply while he watched his friend leave with a flourish. He chuckled and nodded. Genesis did deserve a break and he was no doubt exhausted, so he'd finish up here himself.

Turning back to the monitors once more, he made sure everything was erased by going over it again. "And I meant what I said. Don't tell Zack about the 1st Class exam being expedited." He glanced back at Reno with narrowed eyes. "He doesn't know and he won't know until the time is right."

He was at least glad that Reno had enough sense to come here for Zack, though. So he hoped he could keep him quiet over that little bit of information for a while longer. At least until after the three 1sts had a chance of testing Zack in the skill of stealth. He shook his head and stood up after he was sure everything showing Zack's escapade today was erased from the feed, turning to look at Reno with a snort. He folded his arms across his broad chest and stared at the Turk, waiting for him to make the next move.

Reno shrugged before waved a hand in a careless manner regarding the warning. "You SOLDIERs are too uptight. Relax. I won't tell 'im. I don't share every secret with him, yanno." He stood back up and brushed off his sleeves a bit before shaking his head at the monitors. Heading past Angeal who had that, 'I-am-almighty' pose, he sat down on the chair that Genesis had occupied. "You guys don't know the loop trick, do ya?"

With a few simple key strokes, Reno put in Rude's password that he...borrowed...and input a set of instructions involving the cameras that had caught the two which were not blank time slots. "You wanna cover your butt right? You call a Turk." He mused as he worked and in a matter of two minutes every camera had a loop that expertly didn't show the same person twice, nor did it appear that the video wasn't anything but legit.

He looked over to Angeal then and smirked. "You can thank me now."

The Commander snorted. He hadn't thought of that, but of course he wasn't exactly trained in computers. Sephiroth probably would have been able to do it, though. He shook his head at Reno. "How about I thank you by not telling Zack you're the one that ratted him out earlier about the thing with Hojo?" He said with a smirk of his own.

He might not have been that computer savvy, but he was still a SOLDIER 1st Class, and he wasn't all brawn like some joked about.

"Try and behave yourself." He said, turning and leaving the security room and leaving the Turk behind. He needed rest just as much as Genesis, this whole day had been a bit tiring. First that meeting, then Zack's little escapade. The scare about him going after Hojo's project probably took a good couple years off his life and he needed some rest to recoup.

Especially when the next day they were going to have dinner at Sephiroth's, and a certain 2nd Class was bringing a certain blonde cadet.

He chuckled at the thought as he walked up and waited at the elevators for the doors to open after pushing the button. It would probably end up being a dinner to remember and he wanted to be plenty rested just in case. Gaia only knows what will happen with all of them in the same room together.

Reno shrugged as the SOLDIER took his leave before doing one last check of the footage to make sure no one could catch any tampering before taking his leave. He still had to face a furious Hojo and explain to him that the system showed no signs of the culprits and he probably would go deaf for the next day or so from the Professor's screeching fury. Oh the things he did for that stubborn Second Class.

Maybe if he was lucky the professor had gotten fed up of waiting and left. He prayed for that outcome.

**++0500 hours following morning++**

Zack had told Cloud last night they'd be getting up at 0530 hours today, but he'd gotten up thirty minutes earlier so he could do a little errand before the cadet woke up.

He'd ended up feeling bad the previous evening about keeping Genesis's Loveless collection from him for the whole weekend. Sure, Sephiroth had 'ordered' him not to give them up, but he doubted the General would care for this disobedience charge so much to bring it up.

So he proceeded to get up early, get dressed, and left Cloud sleeping while he made his way up to Reeve's office. Despite being so early in the morning, many SOLDIERs and Shinra executives were up and about already, but he knew no one in the Urban Development Department would even be awake, let alone in their offices.

After retrieving the boxes -and he was really glad for his Mako enhanced strength since he didn't have anyone helping him- he checked to make sure everything was still there before he returned to the elevators and hit the button for the 1sts apartment floor.

He figured he'd just put the boxes in front of Genesis's apartment, knock and then leave before he knew it was him. Not that he thought Genesis would care who brought them back, but considering he'd been the culprit in taking them he wasn't sure he was ready to face the Commander alone without any witnesses.

Shaking the thought from his mind as the elevator doors opened up, he carried the boxes down the hall and to Genesis's apartment. Sitting them down, he let out a huff and knocked. The 1st Class would probably be pretty ticked off to be woken up so early but he'd be happy enough to have his Loveless collection back safe and sound.

He turned to leave then with a smile on his face at that thought.

TBC


	13. Unexpected Surprises

Disclaimer: Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- and it's characters (c) Square Enix. Me no own. Just playing with the characters here. ;) Half of this story was done by Shade the Hero. Thanks!

Shade: Hey guys, the holidays are right around the corner and I can't wait! I'll be a bit busier than usual, but nothing too crazy. Unlike last year. (doesn't even want to think about it). Enjoy guys and have a great week!

Bahamut: Hey everyone! As I promised, here's another update, and again I apologize for the long hiatus. Hopefully these updates make up for it. ;) Now like Shade said, the holidays are around the corner, but we hopefully can be able to get a couple more updates out there before the new year. Enjoy!

* * *

**Unexpected Surprises**

Ever since Genesis had returned to his apartment all he could think of was his nice, soft, warm bed. But before he could even dream of curling up under the covers he had to wash away the filth he had accumulated overseas. Twenty minutes and two body wash cycles later Genesis was squeaky clean and collapsing onto his bed. Ditching his red leather coat for a simple white T-shirt and sleeping trunks with little flame patterns on them he happily lost himself in oblivion.

And then came the knock. It was only three quick raps on the door and then silence, but it was enough to rouse the Commander from sleep. Having lived in Wutai for so long with a battle-ready mind, expecting danger at every turn, his senses were acutely trained to get him fully awake at the slightest sound of noise.

Looking up at the clock he blinked and glared at it as the 5:14 AM time on the clock registered. He thought about going back to sleep, but as one of the head Commanders he was expected to do many things he didn't want to. Answering the door at an ungoddess-like hour was sadly among them.

Getting up and grumbling a thousand curses he dawned his famous coat and headed for the door. When he opened it he attempted to get his tired eyes to put on their best glare before realizing there was no one in the hall. Lucky for them. He was about to step back inside and slam the door with the mindset that if he had to be awake at this hour then the other two should also suffer, but stopped when he saw three boxes at his feet.

"If this is more fan mail from _Red Leather _so help me..." He opened the first box and blinked in surprise as he pulled out one of his gold-plated volumes of Loveless.

"Sweet Shiva!" He breathed as he opened the other two boxes. It was all here! His precious collection! He smiled as he realized why the person hadn't stuck around. Zack was probably afraid to face him alone so soon after his little prank. Genesis smiled at the realization that despite what the Second did he also disobeyed a direct order from the General and gave him his collection back early.

He took the boxes into his room and placed them safely in his bedroom. He'd put them back in their rightful place after the weekend to avoid being caught. Sephiroth had that annoying rule that all his orders were to be followed no matter how far'fetched they seemed. Once safely inside, Genesis thought about going back to bed. He certainly had been comfy and was still a bit tired, but he figured since he rarely woke up to good news or surprises he had better enjoy this one, so he stayed up and made himself a cup of tea.

**xoxo**

Zack had already been in the elevator before Genesis opened the door, and was waiting on it to reach his floor. He glanced at his watch, satisfied that he was done with that and Cloud was probably still fast asleep in bed. Hopefully that made Genesis happy after the little incident in his apartment last night over the whole thing.

Plus if he was in a good mood long enough things might go well for them during dinner tonight at Sephiroth's. He was more worried for Cloud than himself, really. He could handle himself well enough among the 1sts -they were like his family after all- but Cloud wasn't quite at that stage of relaxation around the General of SOLDIER, let alone all three of the famous 1st Class SOLDIERs of Shinra.

The elevator doors opened on his floor and he strolled out and down the hallway to his apartment. He hadn't bothered locking his door and just walked in, keeping as quiet as he could. Walking into his room, he found the cadet right where he'd left him, and he grinned a bit to himself.

Cloud was pretty adorable when he slept.

It was still a little early so he decided to make them a quick breakfast before leaving. With that in mind the 2nd Class went to his kitchen and grabbed a few eggs out before he started cooking them up in a skillet. He wasn't the best of cooks but he could make some lean scrambled eggs in his humble opinion.

He'd let the smell of food wake his sleeping friend, they'd eat, then head straight to the Train Graveyard in the Slums. He was pretty excited about going out and training someone that needed the extra help more than himself. He idly wondered if this was how Angeal felt when he took Zack on as a student years earlier.

The teen smiled at the memory, and could only imagine how happy Cloud will feel when Zack becomes 1st and can officially take him on as a student.

_Cloud was having a good dream. He was riding atop of a train that was traveling through Midgar. From somewhere behind him he could hear Zack giving him orders about spies dressing to look like normal army troops._

_"Don't be fooled, Spiky. They're not as harmless as they look."_

_Cloud rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. I'll be careful." Taking his sword, he rushed ahead, leaping from car to car before the troops started appearing. Seven in all. Most were wielding guns and one had a rocket launcher. Cloud easily dispatched the five gunmen and then when he got too close, the sixth spy tried using the launcher as a blunt weapon. Cloud sliced through it and shoved the guy off the train when he came at him with a knife next._

_The last spy came at Cloud wielding a sword and the two blades clashed. The guy was good, pushing Cloud back and almost making him stumble. But there was one thing he didn't see coming. Cloud's thumb hit a trigger in the hilt of his blade and a smaller blade split from the main one. It was a little over half the size, but the distraction of the flashing steel was enough for Cloud to take advantage and finish him off._

_Cloud rejoined the two blades and slung it over to place it back in the harness on his back. "They never see that trick coming." He mused to himself. His phone rung and he flipped it open to see a message from Zack saying that he passed. He looked up towards to face the direction the train was heading in as it came to the stop up ahead when the dream ended._

The next thing he noticed was the smell of eggs. He felt his stomach growl in response and for a minute thought he was back home and waking up to his mother's cooking. It smelled similar. But when he opened his eyes he noticed that he was not in his room, nor was he in the barracks. Sitting up, he rubbed the sleep from his eyes before looking around. It wasn't until he saw a picture on the nightstand of Commander Hewley and a teen with crazy wild dark hair that it registered to him that he was in Zack's apartment.

A few minutes later Cloud entered the living room, wearing a light blue T-shirt and black camo pants which he had brought in his duffle bag. Waking up to the smell of breakfast was much better than having an instructor screaming in your face or an annoying bell system. He smirked when he saw Zack cooking.

"Mornin'," He greeted.

The 2nd Class had two plates at the ready and probably a dozen eggs scrambled in the skillet. He looked up at the teen with a bright smile. "Mornin', Spiky!" He beamed, always the early riser and morning person. That had always gotten on everyone's nerves, that Zack was such a morning person. As soon as his eyes were open he was full of energy and ready for the day.

Even Angeal wasn't a morning person, at least not before he had his cup of coffee for the day. Which if Zack interfered with his mentor that early and hindered said process of getting coffee, the teen sorely regretted it later during training. Shaking that thought from mind with a laugh to himself, he continued scrambling the eggs until they looked like one giant scrambled egg.

Before the eggs were done he tossed in some cheese and let it melt, and as they finished he started to fill the plates up. He didn't give Cloud quite half because he knew it would be too much for someone with no Mako fueling their appetite.

Grinning at the overflowing eggs on each plate he turned his stove off before he forgot -and Zack _had_ forgot to turn his stove off before- and took the plates over to the small table in the kitchen. "Eat up! We got a long day of training ahead of us!" He said, going over to his sink and looking over the dirty dishes.

After he picked two glasses that had to be clean -at least he secretly hoped they were clean- he filled them with orange juice and sat them next to their plates with a smile aimed at Cloud. "Sorry, it's the only other thing aside from beer and soda.." He ruffled Cloud's hair then turned and grabbed ketchup from his fridge.

As soon as he was sitting in front of his plate, he covered his eggs with said ketchup. "Want some?" He asked, grinning up at the cadet.

Cloud yawned as he shook his head. "No thanks." He took the salt and sprinkled it over his breakfast before taking a bite. It was rare to get a meal in Shinra when you didn't have to worry about the food making you gag or breaking your teeth. It wasn't the same as his mother's cooking. It lacked the melting layer of butter with garlic powder and a slice of toast on the side, but it was good.

"If you'd rather I wear my uniform when we head to the graveyard it'll only take me about two minutes to change." He only avoided putting in on the first place because he had only brought one uniform and it was probably stained with sweat from yesterday's cadet duties.

He picked up his glass of juice next and washed down his bite. "It's fine." He couldn't help but think back to his dream and enjoy it. He knew he was a SOLDIER and Zack was his mentor, probably already a First. He then thought about the sword he used and wondered how he could go about turning that dream sword into reality.

"Have you ever heard of a sword that could split into two blades?" The question was probably sudden, but he really wanted to know. If there was such a blade, he wanted it.

The 2nd Class already had a mouthful of eggs shoveled in and was chewing it when Cloud mentioned changing. He swallowed so he could talk and shook his head. "Don't worry about it, what you got on is fine enough." He smiled and took another bite of the ketchup soaked eggs. He was only wearing his uniform because he was so used to wearing it when he knew there would be training. Better than ruining some of his better clothes at any rate.

When Cloud asked about the sword he blinked and stared at him for a moment as the words registered. He didn't think Cloud knew anything about weapons, considering he was from Nibelheim and still new to Midgar and SOLDIER.

He thought it over around a mouthful of eggs before he swallowed and nodded. "Sounds like a type of buster sword I seen once. Really expensive, a little too flashy for my taste, but it's the only sword I can think of that split into two or more blades." He said, watching Cloud curiously.

He couldn't help but wonder and of course, that meant he couldn't help but ask. "Where'd you hear about a sword like that? Cadets usually don't know much about weapons, let alone ones that aren't even used by anyone in SOLDIER." He poked his fork at Cloud's chest with a grin. "You holdin' out on me, Spiky?"

Cloud hmmm'd over the information as he took another bite of his eggs. So, there was such a sword? And it could split into more than just two? Even more exciting was that no one else in SOLDIER had such a sword which meant that his weapon would be unique.

"I dreamed that I had that kind of sword. It came in handy and I just wondered if that kind of weapon existed. If I make SOLDIER, that's the kind of weapon I'd want."

Cloud didn't want many material things in his life. In fact, there had only been one until now. He had hated relying on others to get him to Midgar when he left home and didn't really like dealing with all of the people. But if he had a Motorcycle then that would change everything. Now alongside that he thought of having the sword and as he took another swig of his juice the idea combined. What if his motorcycle could somehow carry the different blades in hidden compartments?

The idea was crazy and probably unheard of, but it was still awesome and it brought a smile to his face. He had to become a SOLDIER first before he started playing with such ideas. But it wasn't easy taking baby steps when you hung out with someone like Zack. "What kind of sword would you want? Or, are you fine with the one you have now?"

"You dreamed of it?" Zack asked, leaning back and grinning wryly. He'd never heard of someone dreaming of their future weapon. He laughed a little but shook his head. "Well you better start saving now, even for a 2nd Class it was too expensive." He said with a wry grin. He scarfed down the remainder of his breakfast and grabbed for his glass, chugging orange juice down in just a few gulps before it was all gone.

He stood up and stretched his lean frame before tossing his dishes in the sink with the rest of his dirty dish collection. He looked at Cloud and hummed, thinking over his question. "I'm pretty okay with what I have, but I'd give anything to have one like Angeal's Buster Sword. He let me swing it around once after I made 2nd Class. It fit in my hands like a glove, it was amazing. The weight of it in my hands, the groove of the hilt along my fingers." He smiled fondly.

That moment had been even better than having made 2nd Class in his opinion.

The 2nd Class smiled and walked over, ruffling Cloud's hair. "Hurry up and finish so we can get going." He said, walking out and grabbing his armor, strapping it on then getting his sword and putting it on it's magnet holster on his back. He grabbed his Materia next and checked the MP of each while waiting for Cloud to finish eating.

Zack blinked when he suddenly remembered something and he held up his hand and ran to his bedroom, digging through his closet for a box he'd meant to get out earlier. He found it after five minutes of searching and dusted it off while he walked back to the kitchen with it.

"That reminds me, here. Want you to have this." He sat the box in front of Cloud and gripped his shoulder, smiling down at the cadet. "A basic Materia set. You got your Cure, Barrier, Fire, Blizzard, and Thunder. It was my first set, but it barely got used since I was more focused on sword training and my tactics exams. I got a different set, so you can have this one and master it yourself."

Cloud merely shrugged when he heard the cost was high. He had expected it. Anything that specialized had to be pricey. But he was also determined to save up every bit of Gil he could in order to get it.

He had just finished the last few bites of his breakfast when Zack ran into his room to get something. Cloud looked over at the sink and the collection of dishes and smirked. He guessed that whatever the SOLDIER was looking for might take him a bit with that mess. Challenge accepted.

By the time Zack emerged from his room Cloud was seated back at the table, but the dishes were all clean and put away in the cupboards. Cloud couldn't believe how dirty some of those dishes were. It was like they had sat there for a month and judging by the rest of the apartment they probably had. He chose not to dwell on that and instead focused on the box sitting in front of him.

It didn't register until Zack placed a hand on his shoulder. Wait, a full set of Materia?! "Are you serious?" He had wanted to get a feel for the elements before his classmates sure and Zack had mentioned last night about letting him use a few, like Cure, but to actually_ give _him a full set. He really didn't know what to say.

Well, actually he did know what to say. "You know you're spoiling me, right?" He definitely planned on mastering these. Especially Thunder and Cure.

Zack beamed at the cadet and plopped down in the chair next to him with a bright, happy smile. "Maybe I am, but you can just make it up to me later or something." He rolled his shoulder in a shrug and patted Cloud's head. "Just put those to good use." He said with a grin.

He stood back up and was about to leave the kitchen when he seen the dishes -or better yet, lack there of now- and the empty sink. "Hey, what happened to all the dishes?" He asked, scratching his head like it was some kind of magic trick. He looked at Cloud skeptically. "Did you do that?" He asked, grinning now. "Man, when I become 1st Class and get a bigger apartment, you're coming to live with me. That's the cleanest my kitchen's been in months!" He laughed and walked out.

Though he wasn't exactly joking, he was actually kind of serious about that, sad as it was to admit. He was always awful at cleaning and it showed painfully in his little apartment, but if he had Cloud keeping it cleaned up he'd never have to worry about it again.

"Come on, Spiky! Cleaning dishes won't get you into SOLDIER! We're headin' to the Train Graveyard before it gets any later!" He called as he grabbed the last few things he'd need for their training and prepared for a long day outside.

Cloud shifted his eyes innocently towards the ceiling. "Maybe." What the cadet lacked in power, he made up for in speed, which also included chores. He always did the dishes for his mother whenever he happened to see them before she did, so it was no big deal that the habit still carried on to this day. That and Cloud really didn't like being in a dirty house. Zack's place was different, it had a more comfortable feel to it. Doing the dishes was Cloud's way of thanking Zack for breakfast.

As he sat there letting his mind run away he just managed to catch the last of what Zack was saying as he headed towards the door. Grabbing his new Materia along with a few other things that might come in handy, Cloud hurried after Zack.

The 2nd Class grinned back at Cloud and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "You're gonna enjoy it today. After we train for a few hours I'll take you to Wall Market for some awesome lunch." He beamed at the cadet before stepping away and hitting the elevator button. The doors slid open and the teen was already waiting inside, bouncing in place. He was full of energy and ready to go train for a few hours with the cadet, fighting monsters in the Train Graveyard and teaching Cloud how to use Materia.

Zack felt pretty happy after he gave the Materia set to Cloud, and knew the blonde would keep it and work on them when he could. He also knew it would be a big help on getting pass the exams for SOLDIER to already have a set and working with his own Materia ahead of others.

Cloud was looking forward to getting a chance to use his Materia, and they'd probably get a good workout considering he didn't have his own sword yet. He was about to reply when he noticed something red in the elevator behind Zack who didn't seem to notice it yet.

"Do you mind, not rocking the boat this early in the morning, Fair? Not everyone has such boundless energy as you." Leaning against the back of the elevator was Genesis Rhapsodos. He was fully dressed and geared up to look like he was about to lead a platoon into battle.

The doors started to slide closed before he stuck his hand out to stop them. "You going to stand there all day, cadet?"

Cloud shook his head and joined the two before the doors closed again. Genesis cast a glance over at Zack and smirked at him before looking back to address the cadet. "I see the impatient pup has once again forgotten a few details. For example, cadets don't have their own weapons yet and therefore need to borrow one first?"

Cloud wasn't exactly sure how to answer the Commander, but fell silent when he pulled out a long sword from behind his coat. "It's a Third Class blade; the standard long sword. I trust you won't damage or lose it?"

The teen didn't know what to say to that. "Y-yes, sir. Thank you."

Genesis rolled his eyes before shoving it towards the blonde. "Just take it already. You need to work on your reflexes and response time if you ever hope to pass your exam." He then turned to Zack. "Make sure to start him on tests of speed and timing. Strength won't do him any good if he's too slow to face a quicker opponent."

Why Genesis was giving them tips he didn't know. Perhaps it was his way of making up for yesterday? After he had time to think about how he scared the cadet with kicking him out, he did realize that he went too far. There was also the event last night in the security room. Seeing the footage and what transpired between the two and then the need to keep the boy safe from Hojo. That was what he was doing now. Heading towards the barracks to give Cadet Strife's bunk mates a surprise wake-up call. It was the weekend so they were allowed to sleep in, well, not after Genesis was through with them.

Zack had let out an undignified yelp when Genesis started talking. He hadn't expected him, especially at this hour. He looked at him and smiled weakly. "Well I was gonna take one from one of the gyms before we left." He said, rubbing the back of his head. He hadn't forgot about Cloud needing a weapon of his own, they just hadn't gotten that far yet.

"But uh, thanks." He said, eyeing the Commander. He couldn't quite tell if he was still angry or finally settled after getting his books back since Zack's little prank, and this rare nice side was definitely not something the 2nd Class was prepared for this early in the morning from Genesis Rhapsodos of all people.

He shook his head a bit ruefully and grinned. "But I'm also gonna see what he can do with Materia. We're going to the Train Graveyard for some free-style training." He said with a bright smile.

Of course, no one was better at Materia than Genesis Rhapsodos. He didn't think even Sephiroth had the same level of mastery, but then again he didn't remember Sephiroth using a ton of Materia like the Commander here. He was more reserved in his use of Materia. It was always a little more intimidating if the General picked up a Materia, though.

Crossing his arms over his chest, Zack looked at the 1st Class. "So what are you doing up this early on a Saturday?" He asked, a bit curious. He hoped Genesis wasn't out to get him or something like that after waking him up so early.

TBC


	14. Hey Cadets - Pop Quiz

Disclaimer: Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- and it's characters (c) Square Enix. Me no own. Just playing with the characters here. ;) Half of this story was done by Shade the Hero. Thanks!

Bahamut: Hey everyone! Yes, this is Bahamut Fury, but as you can see I've changed my username to fangirlMasquerade, to match my dA name. (You can find me there with Marvel's Thor stories with Loki in them if you're interested!) Ahem, now that my self advertising is done, sorry we didn't get a new update before the new year, but! A week later isn't too bad of a wait. Holidays are crazy you know. But the craziness should be dying down now. So here's a new update!

Shade: Happy New Year everyone! I'm so glad the holidays are over. They were fun, but now I just want to sleep for a month. J/k too many stories to write for that. xD If you guys haven't picked up a copy of Final Fantasy XV yet you guys are missing out! It's done wonders for my writing muse and it's an amazing game to boot! With a new year comes a new update for this little collab of ours and I hope you enjoy!

* * *

**Hey Cadets - Pop Quiz**

Genesis's eyes lit up at bit at the mention of Materia and offered a rare smile. It was small, but he was impressed. "It's about time someone takes an interest in a SOLDIER skill other than simply swinging a sword around." He looked over at Zack. "Mind if I have a look at the Materia you're going to use?"

"I've got it," Replied Cloud as he pulled out the box and opened it for the Commander to see.

Genesis studied each one and pulled out the Fire Materia and then the Ice followed by the Barrier. "Not a bad set, though they're all pretty weak, even for a starter set. This Ice looks to be the best of the bunch, though you'll want to make sure your defensive and healing Materia are strong in the beginning. You can work on increasing your offense later."

He smirked as he placed the Materia back in the box. "Trust me, a strong Cure will save you a lot of pain in the long run."

Cloud nodded as he closed the box and gave Zack a look that asked if this behavior was normal for the Commander? "Um, thanks Commander, and about last night...with your books? I'm sorry."

Genesis resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Water under the bridge, cadet." He looked over at Zack before pulling out a copy of Loveless from his coat pocket. "And to answer your question, Fair, I was woken up early this morning by some unknown stranger who had returned my books to me. I can only assume it was Reeve. After all, he wouldn't know about the order not to return my collection so soon so, he couldn't get in trouble if he were to give them back. He probably assumed they were mine, and I certainly wasn't about to leave them in the hall all weekend." He gave Zack a sly look, which said he knew full well it wasn't Reeve. The man probably would never had noticed them in his cluttered office.

He then gave Cloud an evil grin. "It's very fortunate that you're here and not in your bunk, Cadet. It seems your fellow classmates got themselves into a pickle and I've been assigned to have a..._friendly _chat with them."

Zack shook his head at the Commander about how weak the Materia was. "He's still just a cadet, he doesn't even have any Mako in his system. I didn't think I should start him off with something like a mastered Fire." He said dryly, grinning a bit at Cloud and ruffling his hair. "He'll get them worked up on his own time anyway, right Spiky?"

Of course Genesis would think anything that isn't even leveled up twice is weak, the man being a master at Materia and all. But Zack knew a thing or two as well, and a weak Materia was best suited for someone who had no experience with them at all.

He still remembered when a cadet in his bunk back when he was still a cadet himself had gotten ahold of a Thunder Materia that was almost mastered. The idiot had tried using it in an attempt to show off and say Materia was easy to use at any level. But when he summoned the energy of the Materia, it ended up practically blowing up the bunker the cadets were all in and frying some of them before a 2nd Class managed to swipe it from the teen and stop it's raging bolts of lightning flying all over the place.

Zack swore his hair wasn't nearly as spiky before that incident.

When Genesis answered his question about being awake so early, the teen stood at attention and looked at him a little warily. He obviously knew it was Zack, the look on his face said as much. But he was actually going to cover for him about 'disobeying' an order? He must have really put Genesis into a good mood by returning the books.

"Well it did take him a whole day to find it." He said, just playing along and shrugging with a slight smile aimed at the Commander.

Though the smile faltered a bit as Genesis talked about having a 'friendly' chat with the other cadets. He couldn't imagine what they had done to earn a visit from the 1st Class, because Genesis and cadets? It would not be friendly, or pleasant for that matter. Everyone knew how much Genesis loathed cadets, so him going to see them would end badly.

For the cadets, anyway. He silently sent a little prayer up to the Goddess for their safe passage.

Genesis wasn't one for spreading rumors, unless they were in fact true, plus he loved to embarrass Sephiroth any chance he got. "I'm sure the cadet will do better then Sephiroth on his first try. As long as he doesn't try to freeze his hair."

That had been the best training session ever. The three Firsts were only Thirds back then and it was their first lesson with Ice Materia. Sephiroth was the last one to shower and his hair was still damp by the time they started. He grabbed a level two Ice since it was expected of him by Hojo that he get used to mastering things at a faster pace than others. What the good professor didn't take into account was waist-length silver hair. Sephiroth cast Blizzard, but instead of blasting a beam at Angeal who was working on his defense the room was coated with a light layer of snow and Sephiroth's hair was frozen solid.

The Commander snickered at the memory. They had the best times as Thirds. The elevator arrived at the lobby, but Genesis only shook his head before stepping out. "Just don't bring that story up at dinner tonight, Fair. Not if you want the night to end on a painless note." With that he took his leave, leaving a slightly stunned and very confused cadet.

Cloud turned to Zack. "Does he really think I could do anything better than the General?" He certainly didn't think so.

Zack guffawed at the idea of Sephiroth having frozen his hair. The mental image was too good not to laugh at, and he wished he had been there to see it in person because he doubted he'd ever see anything like it ever. He stepped off the elevator sniggering and looked at Cloud with a shrug. "Don't worry Cloud, you won't freeze your hair. Besides, I'll be there just in case you do." He grinned and wrapped an arm around the cadet's shoulders.

He looked after Genesis and waved his hand. "See you tonight!" He called after him before he strode out of the lobby and into the street of Midgar. He looked at Cloud and smiled. "We're gonna make a quick stop at a convenient store to grab a couple bottles of water." He informed the teen.

He'd learned the hard way that having a bottle of water when going out for training was a life savor. He wouldn't let the poor cadet die of dehydration like he'd practically done when he'd gone training like this. The 2nd Class made his way through the street, leading the teen to the convenient store he liked going to. He was so excited about going training he had an extra pep in his step it seemed.

Cloud rolled his eyes at the very idea. Though, he had to remind himself that Zack still had not experienced a winter in Nibelheim. He'd find out soon enough though. How surprisingly easy it was for hair to freeze in extreme sub-zero temperatures.

He was careful to watch the sword as they headed for the store. It didn't exactly come with a sheath nor did it have a harness. What was the Commander thinking when he suggested Cloud use this sword? There were smaller swords better suited for rookies. Was this a test?

"I'm looking forward to today." And he was. This was his chance to show Zack and everyone else what he could do and more importantly, if he did good here then it could only help his chances of making Third. His training had already begun since it took a lot just to keep up with Zack who was a little too excited about their training. Honestly, did he not realize he was almost running?

**xoxo**

Genesis made sure he had the right bunk room first before letting himself in. As he suspected, the cadets were all still asleep. Checking the clock on the wall he noted that it was only 6:13 in the morning. He was going to enjoy this.

"Cadets, could I please have your attention?"

He arched an eye brow as his polite request went unnoticed. He crossed his arms and tried again, choosing to be civil. "I said, I'd like to address you properly-"

"Shuddup 'n go back ta sleep Dork," Said one cadet who lazily threw one of his pillows which hit Genesis in the face. The cadet hadn't even opened his eyes before he threw the pillow and then turned over to place his remaining pillow over his head.

The temperature in the room started to rise slowly. Suddenly flames spread forward from Genesis's Fire Materia and snaked it's way in the air, showing off his complete mastery of the element. The flame snaked it's way and spread to each and every cadet in the room before striking out like a snake hitting every one of them in the rear.

All five boys yelped and hollered as they grabbed their hind ends and jumped out of bed. The smell of singed skin hung in the air.

"I tried asking nicely," Genesis seethed, not very happy. The cadets' eyes grew wide as they stood to attention when they noticed the Commander standing in front of the door.

"Pathetic. This is the future of SOLDIER?" He asked as he looked over each one. Sure, they had muscles and height and looked more formidable than Strife, but they lacked far more in the long run. He had a way of getting his point across and wanted to make sure to take care of what he and Angeal had discussed the previous night. However, he wanted to beat around the bush first and pretty much just make them squirm.

"How much MP does a Neo Bahamut cost?" He asked one cadet.

"I-I don't kn-know, sir."

He glared at another cadet. "You, where is the Zolom's weak spot?"

"Um...it's tail?"

Genesis held up his Materia and the cadet flinched as it glowed. "Are you guessing, cadet?" He pointed at another cadet who only had his boxers on. "How many levels does a Materia have to reach before it creates a new one?"

The boy only whimpered in response.

Genesis gave an exasperated sigh as he shook his head. "Pathetic. You want to be in SOLDIER, yet you know none of that?"

"Commander, sir," One cadet piped up, "We're not going to start Materia until next week, and everything else will be covered after that- eep!"

Genesis got right in the boy's face and glared him into silence. "Had I been an enemy you would be dead. No enemy you encounter will give you time to wait and learn the information. If you want to survive in SOLDIER you have to know your shit ahead of time. I don't care if this is your first few weeks or not. If you want to survive in this program you had best learn survival skills quickly."

He then looked around at the five boys. He knew just how to approach this topic without showing any sort of favoritism. "I see five boys and six bunks. Where is the extra cadet?" He purposely looked towards the bathroom.

"Cloud's not here," Said one teen.

"And where might this Cadet _Cloud_ be?" He asked, trying to make it seem that saying that word as a name was odd, which it was, but he was used to hearing weird names.

"Off playing SOLDIER's pet with Zack."

Genesis remained silent and only tilted his head, he was waiting to see if they'd take the bait.

"Sir, he's the one whose the problem here." Mathews had hated the way that Cloud had glared at him last night, it felt like a challenge and this was the perfect chance to get him back for it. "He doesn't respect the higher ups. He was trying to order around a Second Class like he was the General. He cut classes all last week and he's pretty wimpy. Not well-built or anything. He's really not cut out to be here, Sir. I think he cheated his way in."

Genesis knew now where he had seen this boy. He was the one on the security camera and also knew that this was a pathetic revenge tactic. "I see..." He could tell this poor fool lacked enough IQ to get into SOLDIER so he'd let the boy fail on his own. As far as he could tell the only one in this group that deserved to be a Third was Cloud. It was time to cut to the chase.

"Well, cadet, for your information, the other Firsts and I have noticed the potential within Cadet Strife. We've been watching him and from what we saw, he's perfectly qualified to become a Third."

The look on the boy's face was priceless. "But, Sir! He's a wimp! He can't even lift over a hundred pounds!"

"SOLDIER isn't all about strength," Genesis snapped. "You have to be strong, fast and smart to survive. Mako will take care of the strength issue, but he has the right qualities which makes him a promising choice. But that's not why I'm here. You stumbled onto something last night when you saw the cadet and SOLDIER Fair out back. If you ever hope to make SOLDIER, you'll not tell a single soul that you saw them. In fact, I want you to forget the event entirely. If not then I will personally come and fire you from the program." He ignited his Fire Materia once again to show he wasn't kidding.

"Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes Sir!" They all shouted at once.

"Good, now, which bed is Strife's?"

One of the cadets pointed to the bunk in the corner. Genesis wandered over to it and opened the drawer to the night stand and collected the last of Cloud's things that he didn't bring with him to Zack's. He'd have to talk to Angeal later, but the cadet couldn't stay here any longer. Not only was he in danger from Hojo, but Genesis didn't trust these boys not to try something with the cadet the moment he returned.

Making sure he had everything he gave the boys another death glare before holding out his Fire Materia one last time. "I mean it, say anything to anyone and you will regret it." There was a bright flash as the fire engulfed the Commander, forcing the cadets to shield there eyes. When they looked back, Genesis was gone.

Genesis had to fight his laughter as he hurried from the barracks. He loved scaring the living daylights out of them. Serves them right for throwing a pillow in his face. This would make a fun story to tell at dinner.

**xoxo**

2nd Class Fair was inside the convenient store and heading to the back where the refrigerated drinks were kept, grabbing about four bottles of water. "Want anything else? Snack?" He asked over his shoulder, grabbing a couple bags. One being a bag of mixed nuts, and the other a bag of cheetos.

He wasn't hungry, but knew nuts would be good for giving boosts of energy when they'd used up all the calories from this morning's breakfast and it wouldn't ruin their lunch or dinner later on. The cheetos were for the fiends in the Train Graveyard, because Zack had found it was easy enough to lure out fiends that were wary of 2nd Class Mako enhanced SOLDIERs for the cheesy snacks. They really weren't that bright, honestly.

The teen grinned at Cloud and winked. "Grab whatever you want. Nuts are better though, healthier." He shrugged. So Angeal rubbed off on him a little with eating a bit healthier. He wasn't ashamed to say he looked up to the man and admired him. He grabbed one last bag -a bag of jerky because he just loved it- and turned to see if Cloud wanted anything while sitting everything on the counter for the cashier to ring up while he got his wallet out.

Cloud shrugged and looked at the shelves for something more to his taste. Nuts were just fine and pretty tasty, but there was something else he was looking for. He smiled when he found it. Taking a few packets of it he held them up for Zack to see.

"Energy bars." He had three of them. One was mixed with blueberries, the other with strawberries and the last with almonds. Candy wasn't very common up in the mountains, but to Cloud, these bars were no different than a chocolate bar really. It gave him more energy and didn't leave any weird after taste.

Zack beamed and paid the checker for everything. "Nice choice! Angeal doesn't like it when I eat them, really don't know why but nuts do the same thing either way." He shrugged. Angeal didn't like Zack having anything to eat or drink that had 'energy' in the title. It wasn't like it changed anything about the teen's energy levels. At least he didn't see a difference, but he shrugged it off and grabbed the bag of bottles of water and snacks for energy later.

"Come on! The train will be leaving for the Slums soon." He said, glancing at his watch and grabbing Cloud, dragging him from the convenient store and toward the train station.

Cloud rolled his eyes as he followed Zack out the door. He thought about telling him there was a difference between energy drinks and snacks that claimed to boost energy only for the consumer to crash later and the Nuetra energy bars that he had picked up, but decided to save his breath since Zack probably wouldn't have heard him anyway. Zack seemed more excited about this then he was. Cloud was pretty stoked, though he was trying to reserve his energy for the training. Unlike Zack, he didn't have endless stores of energy thanks to Mako, even if Cloud did have trace amounts in his system which came from living near a reactor.

As they made their way towards the train station Cloud took in all the sights around him. If this was going to be a regular thing then he best get used to such big crowds. It had been busy last night, but nothing compared to the daytime rush, even if it was still early. He didn't think it would thin out anytime soon.

The train itself was pretty busy with commuters going about their day during the morning rush, but the car they were in seemed to be the least crowded of the group. Cloud wondered if it was because of them for a moment, since not everyone felt comfortable around SOLDIERs. He couldn't understand why. Sure if it were the General or Genesis maybe, but this was Zack, the most friendly guy around. What was not to like? Though, he'd never say that out loud.

One woman was giving Cloud a worried look and constantly motioning with her eyes between him and Zack as if trying to warn him. Another man standing up and holding onto one of the swinging metal handles mouthed the word, 'SOLDIER' to him.

He knew they probably meant well, but it took everything he had not to roll his eyes at them. He decided instead to ignore their warnings and turned to Zack. "Why are people here afraid of SOLDIERs?" The man and woman both gave him shocked looks as if they couldn't believe the boy had the guts to actually talk directly to him. Cloud wondered if they would have even bothered if he had been wearing his cadet uniform.

Zack seemed pretty oblivious to the worried looks and glances being shot his way. He was used to the citizens in how they feared SOLDIERs, though he did try his best not to seem all that intimidating. Even if he wasn't wearing his 2nd Class uniform though, they'd be wary of him strictly because he couldn't hide the fact he was a SOLDIER with his Mako glowing eyes.

Every SOLDIER had that very distinguishing mark.

He blinked and looked at Cloud when he asked and then looked at the man and woman both, offering a gentle smile but they probably didn't see because they immediately turned their gazes away from him when he looked their way.

"Try not to take it to heart. It's not just the people here but everywhere. It's because of our enhanced strength for the most part, that and we're trained to kill." He looked back at Cloud and ruffled his hair with a bright smile. "But once they've been saved by a SOLDIER that look disappears." He whispered with a grin.

He gripped Cloud's shoulder reassuringly. "Of course there's always the stories that SOLDIERs are some kind of monsters, what with all the Mako they pump into us. Like we'll just snap and tear people apart." He drawled, flashing a grin at the two that had been trying to 'warn' Cloud about him.

Who knew people could be so jumpy about a simple gesture? He sniggered a bit and looked at Cloud with a shrug. "Like I said, don't take it to heart. We can't help the rumors that fly around about us. When you make SOLDIER you'll start hearing the whispers behind your back about that stuff from civilians like them." He motioned to the others in the car.

"They're just afraid because they don't really understand that we're no different, just enhanced with Mako is all." He smiled a bit and looked back out the window so the people in the car didn't think he was aiming at any one of them in particular.

Cloud could only blink stupidly at his friend. Zack? A monster? That'd be the day. Still he never really realized that while many boys like him dreamed of being in SOLDIER there were many who would fear them. Cloud was used to being shunned, but to be feared left a very unsettling feeling.

"Well, someone should show them that SOLDIERs aren't killers. I've always heard that they protect people. I thought that was basic knowledge." He looked back at the two who had tried to warn him, the woman looked like she was trying to make herself look as small as possible. She was really scared he realized. The man, he could see was looking up at the ceiling, the look on his face told Cloud just what he thought of what the boy was saying. It was those two reactions that decided it for him.

Turning back to Zack he had a determined look that spoke volumes. "I don't know what gave everyone reason to believe such garbage, but I won't be like that. I'll give them reason to praise SOLDIERs. I want to be the kind of SOLDIER that people look up to. I don't want to kill anyone, I won't be a monster. I want to be a hero."

The teen looked back at Cloud with a somber smile; a look that was rare on Zack's usually happy face. He didn't disagree with Cloud in the least, he tried every day to be a SOLDIER people could look up to. But the cadet would have to eventually learn that he couldn't be a SOLDIER and _not _kill; it was impossible to do so.

Zack still remembered his first kill and it had been hard for him, but he had Angeal to help him through it. He silently vowed to be there for Cloud, because it was going to happen sooner rather than later once he became SOLDIER.

Patting the cadet's head, he looked up when the train came to a halt at their stop in the Slums. His eyes lit up and the somber mood he'd been put in wiped away in an instant at the screeching of the train's wheels stopping. "Hey, this is our stop! Come on!" He grabbed Cloud and dragged him from the car and onto the platform with the few others getting off here as well, along with a few people getting on the train.

The smell of the Slums was a unique one, but Zack was immuned to it by now. Though he couldn't help but grin and look at Cloud to judge his reaction as they walked off the platform. "How about that fresh air smell?" He asked dryly, nudging the blonde with a laugh.

TBC


	15. The Stench of Progress

Disclaimer: Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- and it's characters (c) Square Enix. Me no own. Just playing with the characters here. ;) Half of this story was done by Shade the Hero. Thanks!

Shade: Hello everyone. Fangirl and I are so thankful that you've been following along. This update did take a bit, but that's because we've both been super busy. I'm really happy you guys like this story so much, but to the few who have been messaging me on my profile, it's best if you leave a review here. That way, both Fangirl and I can see it and bring out updates a little faster. We love getting reviews, it what helps fuel our passion to write. But Fangirl can't do anything if only I get messages through PM's. Feel free to contact me all you like, but Fangirl's the one holding the reigns for this awesome adventure. ;)

Fangirl: I couldn't have said any of what Shade said better! So without further ado, the next chapter is here!

* * *

**The Stench of Progress**

Cloud wasn't sure what to make of the look that Zack had given him. He was saddened by something, but before Cloud could try to figure out why the train's brakes screeched as they arrived and Zack was up and pulling Cloud with him. Fine, if Zack had any doubts about Cloud's resolve then he'd just have to prove it to him. Sure, he was an underdog, but he had never let that stop him before and he wasn't going to start now.

The smell that greeted him made him think twice however. He had to shake his head as the stench threatened to overwhelm him. "Fresh? I've encountered road kill that didn't smell this bad!"

The 2nd Class gave a hoot of laughter at Cloud's response. He always loved seeing the reactions of people who had never been in the Slums before. It was always hilarious no matter the person. He clapped Cloud on the back as he guided him off the platform and toward the Train Graveyard. "If you smell that, you know you're in the Slums!" He snickered.

Thankfully Zack was very much immune, because he knew how bad the stench was. If not for years of coming here, his Mako enhanced sense of smell would have knocked him right on his back with the aroma of the Slums.

"Come on, the Train Graveyard is just this way." He said, walking toward the entrance right off from the train platform. He could already hear the sounds of fiends and beasts rummaging through the area ahead with his enhanced hearing, and he grinned as brightly as if he was a kid going into a candy shop.

"Oh joy," Cloud replied as he breathed through his mouth in order to dull the smell somewhat. He knew he'd have to get used to the stench eventually, but it would take a while, unless the stink alone killed his nose first.

As they passed by a mound of broken metal and other junk Cloud could've sworn he heard the scattering of claws and a growl. That told him that he needed to keep his guard up. He kept his sword held loose and ready, just in case something became gutsy enough to try and take them by surprise.

He took a slow breath to calm his building nerves. This was it. Time to put up or shut up and show the people of Midgar and SOLDIER just what Cloud Strife could do.

Zack looked to Cloud with a wry grin, slapping him on the back. "Better if you breathe through your nose and get used to it now, especially since we'll be training here for a few hours. Don't wanna exhaust yourself by breathing through your mouth the whole time, better to train yourself to breathe through your nose." He sniggered, knowing how hard that would be while engulfed in the scent of the Slums.

Best place to train for that.

As the 2nd Class made it to a semi nice clearing, he sat the bag of supplies down and started to stretch. "Alright, first off, stretch. You don't want your muscles locking up before we even get through basic training." He said, looking to Cloud with a smile. He figured the teen knew how to do that much on his own, but just in case he did a few stretches himself. "Like this!" He demonstrated for the cadet.

Cloud had a feeling Zack would say something like that. He let out a sigh (through his nose) which almost made him gag, but he fought back the urge. Gaia, that was going to be hard. But he set down his sword and fell into the routine his instructor had set up for him and the other cadets when they went through their morning run and workout. This part he was well used to. He fell into a pattern of stretches.

The 2nd Class grinned a bit at Cloud's pattern and monotonous style of stretching. He remembered the form and pattern well enough from when he was a cadet, the whole thing having been drilled into his psyche. And it wasn't terrible for a few years, even after becoming 3rd Class, but he knew of some better stretches for more rigorous training.

For now though, they weren't going to be needing that and he let the cadet stretch on his own terms while he himself started doing a few squats to wait on Cloud to finish up.

When Cloud had finished warming up he stood up and looked around. He didn't think the monsters would be so noisy, but during his warm up he had heard several of them scurrying among the scrap piles. They were either very brave or strong enough not to worry about being heard.

He looked over at Zack who was doing squats. He wasn't sure if that was part of his warm up or if he was just doing that to pass the time. "So," He asked. "Where do we start?"

Zack stood upright in an instant and flashed a bright, cheery grin at the cadet. "We start with the sword; a SOLDIERs best friend." He said, grabbing his own and swinging it a few times with the flick of his wrist. He motioned for Cloud to take up the one Genesis had given him before the 2nd Class took a defensive stance.

"Make sure you pay attention to where your feet are." He motioned to his own. "This stance is for defense. But it's not very good when you're trying to be the one on the offense. So pick up your sword and let's see how you hold it and how your stance is from the get-go. Stand like you'd come at me."

He smiled a bit. He remembered all the times he and Angeal had practiced stances when using the sword. It was royally beaten into his head by this point, and he appreciated Angeal all the more for the time and effort it took to teach the teen those things.

Cloud nodded and picked up his sword. He tested his grip on it first, noticing that it felt a little strange. He had seen how easily Zack flicked his and noting the comfortable grip the SOLDIER had on his weapon. It seemed a bit heavy to Cloud, but he hoped that was just the lack of Mako. This sword was made for a Third Class after all.

Taking the sword in both hands, he spread his feet apart, one behind the other as if he prepared to charge and swing his sword. He hoped he was doing it right, or at least not looking like the clumsy cadet everyone thought he was. "Like this?"

The raven haired SOLDIER watched Cloud test the sword, then take a stance. It actually wasn't too bad for a cadet, but there were holes that could easily be exposed in his stance. "Not bad, but more like this." He walked over and stood next to Cloud, taking an offensive stance to show him where to place his feet.

He tapped the tip of his sword to Cloud's left boot. "Most people are right handed and focus on their right side when attacking, they kind of forget to make up for their left side and leave it open when they go on the offensive." He said, offering a kind smile at the cadet. "Try again." He said, stepping back away and back into the defensive stance, watching the cadet with a critical gaze.

For all his joking, good humor, and all that, Zack was serious when it came to training and learning how to survive a battle. He was a SOLDIER, after all.

Cloud nodded and adjusted his stance to match how Zack had shown him. He adjusted his hold on the sword slightly to keep his less dominant side in check. When he thought he had it right he faced Zack just like with the first attempt.

Zack nodded to the blonde when his stance was better. "Good. Alright, that's the stance you want to take when you're going on the offensive. Remember it and drill it into your skull because it's something you'll need to do without even thinking about it later. It has to become second nature to you, like breathing. Got it? Good."

He grinned and cracked his neck. "Now come at me like I'm your enemy. Don't hold back -you can't hurt me." He said, ready for whatever Cloud could dish out. Being a 2nd Class versus a cadet would obviously make it hard for Cloud to actually inflict anything serious on him, so he wasn't concerned and would rather have the teen not hold back anyway.

Angeal had never wanted Zack to hold back when they trained.

Cloud gave him the slightest of smirks. This was probably the most serious he had ever seen Zack since they had met. It meant that he was taking this seriously and Cloud was only too happy to return the favor. Thankfully he was a fast learner and already mentally noted the position of his stance.

He was a little unsure about actually attacking his friend. Cloud thought about suggesting he practice on a few pieces of garbage at first, but Zack had a point. Cloud doubted he could hurt the SOLDIER even if he wanted to.

With a slight nod he took a breath to prepare himself for the charge. He knew he'd probably end up flat on his back, but he'd still give it his all. Without a word he charged ahead, bringing the sword up for a diagonal slash as he closed in on the Second and struck downward with his sword.

The teen watched Cloud's stance, noted he had it down well, and watched his footing as he suddenly charged at the 2nd Class. He blocked the cadet with ease, but instead of knocking him back he flipped his blade with a flick of his wrist and gave a good hit to Cloud's stomach with the hilt.

Stepping back he smiled slightly at the younger teen. "Nice attack, but try not to get too flashy when you don't have the speed to block immediately upon attack. Just stick with the simple stuff right now."

He tapped the flat of his sword against Cloud's wrist. "Don't aim high when you're short, no offense. The sword can make up some of the length, sure, but don't let your eyes get drawn too far from your opponent's midsection. Sometimes an opponent will use a dagger, if you're focusing on swinging up to their heads or something like just now, they could pull a dagger out and stab you in the gut."

He took his stance again. "Remember, your sword can only reach so far, so try not to aim too high. Go for what's in your line of sight for the time being. Keep your opponent's hands in sight. Now again." He offered a gentle, reassuring smile at the cadet and nodded for him to come at him again.

Cloud blinked as he looked down at his middle where Zack had jabbed him and imagined if that had been the sharp end of a dagger. He'd be on the ground bleeding out like a faucet. That image alone hammered the message home. Mentally vowing he wouldn't repeat his mistakes he took his offensive stance again and calmed his nerves as he focused.

_Alright, no flashy moves. Keep it simple and focused Strife. Keep yourself centered and don't overreach._

With his mental plan set, he charged at Zack again. This time, instead of a slash aimed for the head, he went with a straight jab. He was aiming for Zack's chest while keeping his eyes focused on his opponent's hands, assuming they'd come up to block the hit or knock it away.

**xoxo**

Genesis carried a sack slung over his shoulder as he made his way to his best friend's apartment. After returning from the barracks he had grabbed a spare supply bag and dumped all of Strife's things inside because he really didn't feel like explaining to everyone who passed by why he was carrying a handful of cadet belongings and most embarrassing of all, a pair of chocobo print underwear. The sack was a much better choice.

He wasn't looking forward to stepping into Angeal's apartment with all of those plants and the constant threat of bugs, but this matter couldn't exactly wait. Sooner or later the cadet's instructor would want some answers and both Genesis and Angeal hadn't exactly begun filing out the movement notice.

This is going to be fun, Genesis thought as he knocked twice on Angeal's door.

Angeal was up and enjoying his morning coffee while reading the Daily Midgar newspaper when he heard the knock at his door. Glancing up at the clock, he raised an eyebrow. He didn't know who it would be at this hour but set his newspaper and mug of coffee down and stood up from his recliner in the living room.

He opened the door and was actually a little taken aback to see Genesis of all people. "You're up on a weekend at this hour? Gaia, who died?" He asked, half jokingly, half serious. It would take a lot for Genesis Rhapsodos to be up and about at this hour on the weekend, especially after a long trip to Wutai like he'd just gotten back from.

The Commander noticed the bag slung over his shoulder and crossed his arms. "There isn't a cadet's body in there, is there? I'm not helping you hide it." He said with a wry grin.

Genesis smirked as his friend greeted him. "Had I been forced to stay in those barracks a moment longer that may very well have been the case, fortunately they got the hint and so no one had to die today." He adjusted the sack over his shoulder. "However, there is a matter of safety to be discussed. Remember what we disclosed last night about moving him in with the pup? We may have to speed that up and make his little sleepover a bit more permanent."

He glanced up at the camera, being careful of what he said.

The dark haired Commander snorted and nodded, stepping aside for his friend to enter. "Come in. Do you want some coffee?" He asked, closing the door behind his friend and walking back to the living room to retrieve his mug. He had a feeling he would need to refill it for today despite it being a weekend.

"So how did it go, what did you learn, and what did you do." He said, like he was well prepared for whatever his friend had to say on the matter. He glanced at his friend with a slight smile. He did want to know how things went, and from the way Genesis had no doubt packed up Cloud's things it meant things didn't quite go well for some reason or another.

"Gaia, yes!" That morning's tea he had when he woke up seemed like an eternity ago even if it had only been one or two hours at most, however he wasn't about to pass up his friend's offer.

He entered the room and for once, didn't pay the plants much attention. They weren't that bad really. It was just the creatures that called them home that bothered him. He set the sack down and took a seat on the couch. Genesis chuckled a bit as the questions flew from his friend's mouth. "Keep your shirt on 'Geal." He rolled his eyes before revealing what he knew.

"It went as expected, though we might need to look into stricter application programs. Those boys were not very bright when it came to pop quizzes. They're quite lazy as well. Not caring to brush up on their research and waiting for the class before even thinking about studying for it. It makes me almost want to quiz the Pup's little cadet to see if he's any better, though I'm a bit afraid to find out."

He folded his arms and leaned back into the couch. "I didn't do much. Just gave them a nice jump start, and I may have used my Fire Materia." He stopped and glanced at his friend, no doubt expecting a look. "Don't worry, I held back. I'm sure they've had sunburns that were worse. They're lucky they were un-enhanced otherwise they would have suffered a lot worse. Nobody throws a pillow in my face and gets away with it."

He nudged the bag at his feet a bit before bringing up the last bit of news. "I learned that the cadets did indeed need to be dealt with on the matter concerning the Hojo incident. Not only did they seem the type to report that to a higher up, but they also tried to get the boy in trouble for a number of things including ordering around a higher-up like he believed he was too good for them."

He gave Angeal a look that said they were right to worry. "I know neither of us, nor Sephiroth ever had to deal with bullies when we were cadets, but I think Strife would have been in trouble when he returned to his dorm. I didn't reprimand the cadets for this because they hadn't done it yet, but I saw everything I needed to."

He closed his eyes and shook his head when he saw it. "While looking around the room I noticed a few things that stood out. A coil of rope hidden under some magazines, a roll of duct tape sitting on a night stand, and the most worrying piece of evidence was found when I was gathering up the last of the cadet's things. Under his blankets was a white T-shirt with the words 'SOLDIER's PET' in red. I don't know exactly what they were planning to do with those three items, but I think it's safe to say it wouldn't be good. So I took the liberty to move Strife out of there now, but I only grabbed his things. I need you to make it official to his instructor."

The raven haired Commander chuckled a bit at his friend and nodded while he walked over and grabbed a second mug before pouring himself and Genesis a fresh mug of coffee. "A pillow to your face? What complete insubordination." He said jokingly, rolling his eyes. It was the weekend.

Listening to Genesis, he frowned a bit at hearing how it went. He didn't know what on Gaia they'd need rope, duck tape, and that t-shirt for, but it wouldn't have been good. He hadn't thought the cadet's bunkmates would have gone so far, but it looked like Strife was in danger not just from Hojo but from his own peers.

That made Angeal sick to his stomach. He remembered when he'd first taken Zack on as his pupil, and although Zack smiled it off, he knew the teen had taken some hits from the others his own age. He never did get the full story on what all happened between the teen and the others, Zack refused to talk about it saying it was 'nothing', and Angeal didn't want to hurt the pup's pride.

Ironically, most of Zack's class aside from a couple, were now among the ranks of Infantrymen.

Shaking his head as he took the two mugs of coffee into the living room, he handed one to Genesis with a sigh and sat back down in his recliner. "You made the right decision to move him now. I don't think he would have stood a chance against them." He mumbled, looking down at the steaming coffee inside his cup. "I'll talk to his instructor today and write up the transfer form." He glanced at Genesis while sipping his coffee.

"You should tell Sephiroth all this. He needs to know that the cadets are less than desirable to join SOLDIER if they can't answer simple questions or if they're loyalty is next to nothing for one another. Bring up the idea of having a stricter application program." Angeal suggested, leaning back into his chair.

Genesis accepted the mug and nodded his thanks before blowing on it and taking a sip. He took a moment to enjoy the warmth as it traveled down his throat before answering. "It's a fair guess that it'd be obvious." He had to be careful and remember that Angeal didn't really watch much TV and wasn't really a big movie fan.

"You've never seen hazing rituals?" He asked. "This one didn't seem to be an initiation, however. It seemed more like a 'learn-your-place-in-life' sort of deal. They probably would have tied him up with the rope, taped his mouth shut and forced him to wear that shirt in some way. They probably would have stuffed him in a closet somewhere or placed him in a public place to humiliate him. You see it in movies and shows all the time."

He took another sip of his coffee. "I didn't see it fit to punish them right then, but it's clear the ring leader is that Cadet Mathews, he was also on the tape. I think the best he can look forward to in this company is the regular army if he's lucky."

Genesis smirked as Angeal suggested talking to the General. "Perhaps it'd be best if he saw it with his own eyes. I know we don't want to raise suspicion, but I am curious to know what they were planning to do when the cadet returned and no one can make a man cry like Sephiroth. I remember in the war he made a few Wutain spies wet their pants."

Angeal snorted quietly at that. He knew of hazing rituals, but due to his size he'd always intimidated others and never had to personally go through one himself. He was thankful for that at the very least.

He then rolled his eyes at his friend. "I'm not big on watching TV, Gen." He motioned to his own television. Zack had used it far more than he ever did, and he personally only ever used it when watching the Midgar news station. He just would rather be reading a good book, tending to his plants, or doing paperwork quietly.

He considered what Genesis said though, and thought it over for several moments before he finally replied. "It's been a while since Shinra last had a surprise check up in the barracks." He said, sipping his coffee and turning his gaze to meet his friend's. "You've seen the duck tape, rope, and shirt. Have a couple 3rd Classes pay a surprise visit to all the bunkers tomorrow, see what they turn up."

It wasn't unusual for Shinra to have ordered 'surprise inspections' for cadets. It was always a concern that drugs are used to enhance or the rare instant a spy is caught. So no suspicion would be raised if one such inspection took place, and then Sephiroth would be able to interrogate this cadet Mathews concerning his involvement among others.

The red-clad Commander took another sip of his coffee before nodding in agreement. "A surprise inspection is a great idea. I must be still tired if I didn't think of that first." He wanted to mentally kick himself, but he had to remember that not only was he not used to being awake this early on a Saturday, but he also hadn't even been back home for even twenty-four hours yet. No wonder his mind wasn't as sharp as usual.

Genesis nodded in agreement. "I'll speak to the Thirds later today and have it all arranged. Meanwhile, I suggest we let the others know later on at dinner. That way everyone will be in one place. Because you know how I hate having to repeat myself."

Angeal couldn't help but chuckle at his friend. "Why you're even up this early is beyond me. You could have went to the cadets bunker later and still have the surprise element on your side to scare them." He chuckled again. What had gotten Genesis out of bed? He shook his head and sipped his coffee again.

"Waiting until dinner tonight will be fine though to talk about Cloud moving in with Zack." He sat his coffee cup down with a snort. "Gaia help us, I have a feeling Zack and Cloud are going to be a real handful together all the time." He mused.

Genesis opened his mouth to tell him just why he was up so early when his common sense kicked in. If he had mentioned that it was Zack then Angeal would ask why and Genesis might let it slip that he had his collection back. Not that Angeal could really do anything about it, but if Sephiroth caught wind of it then there'd be hell to pay. "I couldn't sleep well without my collection."

He snickered a bit at the very idea Angeal talking about the Second and cadet. "Oh come now, Angeal. I'm sure those two hellions can't do anything worse than what we've done in our early days. Remember the lab explosion when we were Thirds? I've rarely seen Sephiroth happier than he was on that day. And I almost felt bad for Hojo...almost."

Angeal rolled his eyes at his friend. "Good Goddess, Gen, you really do have an addiction. I think Zack was beginning an intervention for you." He said wryly, laughing as he looked at his friend with a look. At the mention of what the two had done when they were 3rds though, he snorted and grabbed his newspaper, rolling it up and smacking his friend's leg. "Hey now, we said we wouldn't discuss that." He said sternly, but there was a grin spreading across his features.

He did remember that incident. Anyone involved at the time wouldn't be able to ever forget it. And he bet Hojo remembered well enough too.

The great Genesis Rhapsodos gave a whimper and a pout as he stuck out his lower lip and tried to look like a kicked puppy. He figured if it worked for Zack then maybe he'd have similar luck. "You wouldn't say that to a boy who's lost his favorite teddy bear. I don't see how this is any different."

Genesis shrugged his shoulders as Angeal struck him with the paper and couldn't help but chuckle. "I didn't discuss it, I merely hinted it. But you have to admit we were the cause of many headaches and nightmares of the higher ups back in the day."

TBC


End file.
